Blockchain Masterclass
Cheryl Nolan, VistaMilk Site Manager Insight
On the 18th of November VistaMilk, SFI Research center held a Masterclass on the topic of “Blockchain in Agriculture”. This virtual event was hosted by Prof John Breslin and his team at NUIG.
With over 100 people registered and a fantastic line-up of speakers, it didn’t disappoint. After an introduction to Blockchain by John Breslin, a number of topics were discussed around its capabilities and uses. John Keogh, Founder and managing principal at Shantalla (Figure 1) gave an enthralling keynote presentation where he gave a balanced perspective and placed blockchain in the context of other crucial food supply chain technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the internet of things. A panel discussion concluded the day’s events, and our knowledge was enhanced by the efforts of our attendees who asked challenging questions throughout.
A pre and post survey demonstrated a significant shift in understanding around Blockchain as a result of the Masterclass. For instance, 73% of participants claimed to have “very little to no knowledge” of the subject in advance of the Masterclass as compared to only 12% post the event. Similarly, 58% reported they had “little to no understanding of how blockchain can be used in the agri-food sector” in the pre-survey, and this decreased to 4% post the event. We are looking forward to our next Masterclass hosted by Tyndall National Institute in March 2021 which will be about the topic of sensors in agritech.
We look forward to sharing the agenda and registration details in the New Year.
The full recording of the Blockchain Masterclass can be found on the VistaMilk YouTube channel.