A Review of Decentralized Web Applications in Agricultural Systems

A Review of Decentralized Web Applications in Agricultural Systems | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review A Review of Decentralized Web Applications in Agricultural Systems Yashwanth Sanka This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9450706/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Decentralized Web Applications (dApps) built on blockchain, Web3 technologies, and the Inter- Planetary File System (IPFS) are emerging as a promising solution to longstanding challenges in agriculture. Conventional centralized systems often result in opaque supply chains, data tampering, fraud, and limited empowerment of smallholder farmers. This systematic review identifies and analyzes 12 representative studies published between 2017 and 2025, selected via a structured search across IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and Google Scholar using a defined inclusion and exclusion protocol. Studies are examined with particular emphasis on supply-chain traceability, IoT-enabled smart farming, parametric crop insurance, direct farmer-to-buyer marketplaces, and secure farm-data management. Most implementations leverage Ethereum smart contracts or Hyperledger Fabric, integrate IoT sensors for real-time monitoring, and employ IPFS for off-chain storage of large files such as sensor readings and images. Key benefits include immutable records that prevent tampering, end-to-end traceability for rapid identification of contaminated produce, automatic smart-contract payments, and trust-building without intermediaries. Notable examples are the Walmart-IBM blockchain pilot for mango and pork traceability and platforms such as Etherisc and Arbol for parametric crop insurance. However, challenges remain, including high gas fees and slow transaction speeds on public blockchains, high energy consumption, interoperability issues, data privacy concerns, and limited digital infrastructure among smallholders in regions such as India. This review synthesizes findings across four core application areas—data storage, supply-chain tracking, smart-contract automation, and security/trust—and identifies six open research gaps. It concludes that dApps have strong potential to make agriculture more transparent, equitable, and sustainable, provided that scalability, usability, and regulatory barriers are addressed. Computer Architecture and Engineering Agriculture Blockchain Decentralized Applications (dApps) Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Contracts Supply Chain Traceability Systematic Review Web3 Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9450706","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Systematic Review","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":625078928,"identity":"ebaf1c6d-9000-492b-98fb-cd65c6f24515","order_by":0,"name":"Yashwanth Sanka","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNjBpAMSMDQw2IKrxADFaJKBa0sAUSVoOg4XwajE4fvzZY56aO3Xm/IefPZxRc95ubfthoC01NtE4tZzJMTfmOfZMwnJGmrnhhmO3k7edSQRqOZaW24BLy4EcNukctsMSBjcYzCQfsN1ONjsA1MLYcBi3lvPPn0nn/ANqOX/8m+SDf+eSzc4/JKDlRoKZdG4bUMuBHDPJjW0H7MxuELBF8sYbM+m/fYclN9zIKZOc2ZecYHYDaEsCHr/wnU9/Jjnj22F+oMO2SfZ8s7M3O5/+8MGHGhucWhQOoAkkglUm4FAOAvLoZtnjUTwKRsEoGAUjFAAA2ptrMIQja4kAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT-AP), Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yashwanth","middleName":"","lastName":"Sanka","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-17 15:13:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9450706/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9450706/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107522167,"identity":"93947d0c-8d77-41f3-ab6b-23e33bb2b502","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-22 09:13:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":305036,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Agriculture.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9450706/v1_covered_31945981-bb7c-4308-97b1-24fa55e81423.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eA Review of Decentralized Web Applications in Agricultural Systems\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT-AP), Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Agriculture, Blockchain, Decentralized Applications (dApps), Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Contracts, Supply Chain Traceability, Systematic Review, Web3","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9450706/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9450706/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eDecentralized Web Applications (dApps) built on blockchain, Web3 technologies, and the Inter- Planetary File System (IPFS) are emerging as a promising solution to longstanding challenges in agriculture. Conventional centralized systems often result in opaque supply chains, data tampering, fraud, and limited empowerment of smallholder farmers. This systematic review identifies and analyzes 12 representative studies published between 2017 and 2025, selected via a structured search across IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and Google Scholar using a defined inclusion and exclusion protocol. Studies are examined with particular emphasis on supply-chain traceability, IoT-enabled smart farming, parametric crop insurance, direct farmer-to-buyer marketplaces, and secure farm-data management. Most implementations leverage Ethereum smart contracts or Hyperledger Fabric, integrate IoT sensors for real-time monitoring, and employ IPFS for off-chain storage of large files such as sensor readings and images. Key benefits include immutable records that prevent tampering, end-to-end traceability for rapid identification of contaminated produce, automatic smart-contract payments, and trust-building without intermediaries. Notable examples are the Walmart-IBM blockchain pilot for mango and pork traceability and platforms such as Etherisc and Arbol for parametric crop insurance. However, challenges remain, including high gas fees and slow transaction speeds on public blockchains, high energy consumption, interoperability issues, data privacy concerns, and limited digital infrastructure among smallholders in regions such as India. This review synthesizes findings across four core application areas\u0026mdash;data storage, supply-chain tracking, smart-contract automation, and security/trust\u0026mdash;and identifies six open research gaps. 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