Traceability is key to a sustainable agriculture

Justin Platt, founder and managing director of agricultural technical services companies Zylem and RegenZ, explains how South African agriculture stands to benefit by implementing traceability systems

- Justin Platt

Traceability has become a crucial element of food safety and quality assurance in agriculture. International governments and consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety and validity of claims about the produce they import and consume. The food supply chain is complex, and a lack of transparency and technology solutions in the supply chain system creates significant challenges for agribusinesses today. Implementing end-to-end traceability in agriculture contributes more than just regulatory compliance or ensuring food safety. It lowers operational costs for producers, improves profitability, regulates fraudulent activities or unethical practices, and unlocks new business opportunities. It’s worth highlighting how traceability technology can help to highlight unnecessary bureaucracy that disproportionally increases the production cost to the farmer, and therefore to the consumer.

In essence, we need to have a blockchain-type process that enables every loaf of bread or avocado consumed to be rated on its nutrition density, value, origin, and cost to the environment, and not just in rands and cents.

GLOBAL TRENDS AND DRIVERS FOR TRACEABILITY

Changing consumer demands and preferences 

Consumers worldwide expect food and fibre products to align with their preferences, including higher animal welfare, sustainability, and other production and supply chain characteristics. Meeting these demands requires end-to-end traceability that tracks the entire product life cycle from farm to fork.

Increasing import market regulations