Consumers' fear regarding food security in Slovenia during the first wave of COVID-19 crisis

The various crises are having a significant impact on the entire food sector and are changing the attitudes of Europeans as well as policies on the importance of food security and sustainably produced quality and safe food for consumer health. The paper focuses on the consumer's fear of food security for the time of the first wave of COVID-19 and the associated concern for food security in the future and the changes in consumer behaviour. The online survey in Slovenia was conducted in June 2020 using a "snowball" method. The sample included 490 individuals. The results showed that both measured forms of fear (i) fear over food security during the first wave of COVID-19 crisis, and (ii) fear over food security in the future were statistically significant, moderately strong and positively associated with almost all forms of self-perceived behaviour change caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The respondents focused more on buying locally produced and processed food, food stockpiling and decreasing food waste. Only minor changes were expressed with regards to their food purchasing channels, with the elderly, the highly educated and those who classified themselves in a higher social class buying more often directly from farmers. In the future, the results of this research should be compared with other countries and the impact of an individual's economic situation and the impact of promotional campaigns on agricultural products on changing consumer behaviour should also be analysed in more detail.

China: export opportunities for food

The People's Republic of China has the largest population in the world, making it both one of the most fascinating and rapidly expanding import markets for food and beverages as well as one of the most difficult. The Chinese market is appealing to foreign food producers because of the country's high per capita income and quick urbanization. The Agriculture Chapter addressed fundamental trade barriers and will support a significant increase in the export of food, agricultural, and seafood products from the United States, boosting farm and fishery revenue, stimulating rural economies, and fostering employment growth. Numerous non-tariff barriers to the export of U.S. agricultural and seafood products are discussed, including those relating to rice, dairy, infant formula, horticulture products, animal feed and feed additives, pet food, and agricultural biotechnology products, as well as meat, chicken, and seafood. The U.S. has achieved significant export successes thus far, despite the pandemic. Decrees 248 and 249, which take effect on January 1, 2022, mandate that foreign suppliers of particular food products to China register with the GACC before presenting their goods for customs clearance. Several Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports on GACC Decrees 248 and 249 have been published by FAS offices in China. For the most recent information on whether their business has to register, whether it can self-register, or if it needs to be recommended for registration by a U.S. competent body, U.S. exporters should examine the GAIN system, which offers points of contact at the GACC. According to Euromonitor, urban Chinese customers who are short on time choose shopping near residential areas, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. During the crisis, consumers grew accustomed to shopping in their immediate areas. As a result, many major modern grocery chains have used a multi-format strategy and constructed smaller-format stores. Freshippo, Yonghui, and Carrefour are all opening smaller, more neighborhood-focused stores that place an increased emphasis on fresh foods. Some of these shops also act as e-commerce order warehouses and offer prompt home deliveries. Particularly Yonghui has opened Yonghui Mini Stores quickly as an addition to its hypermarket and major supermarket operations. The food processing sector in China has been expanding steadily in recent years. According to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), sales, production, and income in the sector rose in 2020. The total profits of China's largest food processing firms reached 620.66 billion yuan (about US$97 billion) in 2020, an increase of 6.8% over the same period in 2019. According to MIIT, these businesses' profit growth was 3.1% higher than the average for all industrial sectors.

Food commerce upshots with their former locus in the economy with respect to the pandemic 2020 - a drawback or an aid in South Kolkata, West Bengal

Background: The Food Commerce industry has flourished massively during the past decade in South Kolkata in West Bengal, with new outlets opening every now and then, so much so that this region is known as 'Food Street'. Regardless of their scale of operations, each of these outlets had well established themselves, catering to their respective target markets and earning decent amount of revenue over the years. However, this growth suffered a setback owing to the origin of novel Coronavirus SARS-n-CoV-2. The growth rate declined to a great extent over the span of two years, with recent studies showing an overall stunted growth rate. Even though online marketing of these outlets and selling the food through delivery apps have aided the entrepreneurs, the cost to revenue ratio is not at par with that of the times before the pandemic hit. Overall, the pandemic has impacted the eateries in more way than initially imagined. Objectives: (a) To reveal the various problems and scenarios of managing food business during the Covid-19 pandemic in South Kolkata region;(b) To compare the present scenario of the food industry with how things were before prior to the pandemic to understand the nature of change during this time frame;and, (c) To describe the challenges and methods implemented by the food retail business entrepreneurs and managers of the randomly selected establishments to hold a steady business flow during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology: The study follows a descriptive research design. Therefore, the research will describe the characteristics of the sample under study. The food outlets of South Kolkata have been chosen as the study location. 100 respondents were selected. The respondents are those who consume food from these outlets such that they represent the wider target market of the 'Food Street'. Both Primary Data and Secondary Data were used. Primary Data was collected through sample survey. Random Sampling technique was used to choose the respondents. The study used quantitative data, therefore, only Quantitative analysis was performed. Results: The Research was able to depict the comparison between the present scenario and the situation prior to the pandemic. The study was able to reveal the challenges and problems that the food outlets had to suffer from. Also, the methods or strategies taken up by the entrepreneurs of these outlets to overcome the pandemic were discovered. 46% of the respondents opted for "Mobile Food Delivery" as their strategy to revive from losses. Conclusion: With COVID-19 having altered - and still in the process of altering - the definition of "normal" across the world, most industries are still scrambling to adjust. The effect on the restaurant industry has been particularly dramatic. With restaurants and pubs closed for sit-down service, many establishments are struggling to keep their heads above water. The food outlets located in South Kolkata shares the same fate and the research is able to highlight this effectively.

E-food trade effects on purchasing approach regarding customer behavior

Our world is changing too fast. The distances have been shortened and communication has been increased by the invention and widespread use of the internet. Our habits started to change in many aspects of our lives by the development of digitalization. Especially during the pandemic Covid-19 that has started at the end of 2019, it's observed that mobility of people have been decreased and however, they began to have difficulties in meeting the needs. There has been a great demand for companies that sell over the internet. In particular, the tendencies of people to purchase food items which are their vital need over the internet have increased to a great extent. Looking at the e-commerce market on a sectorial basis during the pandemic, the biggest increase was seen in e-food trade with a growth of approximately 400%. Within that period, it is predicted that our purchasing habits will change rapidly and virtual markets will become much more important in our lives. The delivery of food products to the consumer has always been a big problem. The risk of deterioration of the products in a short time and the physical destruction of the products during their transportation has increased the importance of food logistics. The logistics channels are needed to be developed in order to increase e-food trade. For this reason, contemporary logistics channels have started to be used by integrating developed logistics applications to the traditional logistics channels. It will be much faster and cost-efficient to deliver the products to the consumer with the new logistics channels in the near future. Yield penalty due to transportation will decrease, and since the number of stock brokers is reduced, the consumer will be able to reach the product they demand at a more affordable price from the producer that they have chosen. In the future, physical stores will be replaced by logistics-supported virtual markets. The agriculture and food sector should also start working in order to accommodate quickly to the new trade order.

4th International Conference on Natural Resources and Technology, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia, 29-30 August 2022

These proceedings, with a theme of Natural Resources and Technology for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal through Academic, Industry, and Community and a subtheme of Resilience and Innovation Research on Sustainable Natural Resources and Technology Post-Covid 19, contain 104 articles covering 6 major topics in the related fields such as (i) Natural science and natural product, (ii) Natural resource technology, (iii) Information systems of tropical resources, (iv) Tropical biodiversity, (v) Food science and food technology, and (vi) Ethnobotany and ethnozoology.

COVID-19 as a catalyst of food security crisis. whether the existing system of agriculture can remain the same

From 2019 to 2022, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global percentage of hunger rose by 150 million people, which is 10% of the world population. At the same time, one-third of food is thrown away because it cannot reach the final consumer. Climate change, natural catastrophes, wars leading to humanitarian crises are the main and ongoing causes of hunger. COVID- 19 acted as an accelerator of processes that exacerbate the food security crisis, to which import-dependent countries are especially sensitive. Quarantine that was introduced as a tool to combat the spread of the COVID-19 acted as a catalyst of social, economic, political, ecological, and food crisis that is displayed in the global economic system and in agriculture - its subsystem. At first glance, the increase in the percentage of starving populations on the planet is explained by poverty and the inability to purchase basic food products;a rise in prices was caused by breaks in logistics chains, the increase in the price of energy carriers, and economic shifts caused by the lockdown. In practice, despite the constantly growing volumes of global production of agro-industrial products, the balance between demand and supply of products that ensure the world's food security has been disturbed. The research problem lies in the insufficient determination of intangible causes of hunger, other than those caused by poverty and social inequality. The aim of the research is to show the prospects of the aggravation the food security crisis due to excess of food demand over supply, and to propose theoretical ways out of the crisis. The quantitative method of panel data research was used to prepare the article. The visualization method was used to simplify the perception of the proposed array of information. It is possible to overcome such social problems as hunger, poverty, climate and ecology problems caused by the increase in the temperature on the planet's surface, ocean pollution, and soil degradation only through adaptation and achieving synergy between the planet's ecosystems. Agriculture as a main factor of food security should be transformed through implementing principles of climate-optimized agriculture and blue economy (use of ocean resources) as a source of "blue food" to achieve food sustainability.

Indian agriculture and rural economy in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of the paper is the analysis of the changes in Indian agriculture during the pandemic. The following research questions were put forward: What is the diversification of the Indian agriculture and rural economy in terms of COVID-19?;What is the percentage change in overall agricultural commodities production, in farm-gate prices for commodities in agriculture and the allied sector and in the availability of agri-inputs? The theoretical part of the paper depicted the following issues: India's role in global farming;rural economy issues, economic recovery, and the agricultural sector in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic. The studies that were conducted include: documentation, statistical, comparative, and dynamics analysis. The results showed that the Indian agriculture and rural economy in terms of COVID-19 had different tendencies. With businesses across all industries forced to shut down, the economy ground to a halt. Even while farming operations were spared during the lockdown's early stages, the agricultural value chain nonetheless experienced widespread disruptions. This was devastating to the rural Indian economy.

The development of countryside walking tourism in the time of the post-COVID crisis

With low investment, countryside walking tourism contributes to the rapid recovery of rural tourism in the post-covid time. The research purpose is to examine factors that impact the interest of tourists in the state-supported countryside walking tourism. The sample consisted of 467 respondents from the general public. The SPSS software was used for processing data. The results indicated that safety, content, and price are the most influential factors. For females, slightly more important factors were related to the possibility of consuming authentic food and beverages, buying traditional handmade products, the inclusion of the local population, and the well-being of urban residents. A village, with authentic local houses and cuisine, and local tour guides, are the epicenter of countryside walking tourism. Embedding countryside walking tourism in sustainable rural tourism development policies is recommended. The research contributes to the integration between sustainable rural development and sustainable tourism development.

Use of e-commerce in the commercialization of family farming products: a systematic literature review

Family farming is an important food supplier, but it faces difficulties in commercialize its production. Alternative forms of commercialization of agricultural products have been emerging, and an inclination towards the use of e-commerce is perceived, which has also helped in the disclosure of its products. The objective of this study was to present the state of the art in research that relates family farming to the use of e-commerce and its disclosure strategies in recent years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The technical procedure used was a systematic literature review, following the Methodi Ordinatio protocol. The results showed that e-commerce has helped family farmers in the commercialization and disclosure of their products, bringing economic and social benefits. Additionally, gaps in future research on the subject were pointed out.

Purchase of food by ecommerce in Costa Rica during COVID-19

Introduction: The influence of electronic commerce (EC) on people's food purchasing decisions has been relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Costa Rica, there is no information available on how this medium has modified the food purchasing and consumption behaviors in Costa Rican families during this health emergency. Background: To analyze changes in the food purchase and consumption patterns of Costa Ricans that were influenced by the EC during the pandemic. Materials and methods: An online survey using the snowball methodology was carried out in June 2021 in different social networks groups in Costa Rica. Structural equation modeling was used to establish the causes associated with endogenous (trust, convenience, hedonic impulses) and exogenous variables (socioeconomic status, purchase decisions due to COVID-19) that outlined the changes in purchasing habits. The stimuli generated from EC that influenced these purchase decisions were reviewed according to the specific food group. Results: A strong causality was found from the latent variable convenience (beta=0.89;p<0.01) for the purchase of food by EC, in addition to little impact (beta=-0.35;p<0.01) on food consumption habits, generated by the measures defined to contain the pandemic. The sanitary measures established by the authorities show causality in the general response of the food consumer by EC (NORM_1<0.8;p<0.01), which was low if its estimated value is compared with other motivators in purchase decisions such as convenience due to improvements in quality of life (CO10.8;p<0.01) or even trust due to the commitment to quality offered by the website (CF30.6;p<0.01). Conclusions: The pandemic promoted an improvement in consumer perception regarding advantageous situations of employing EC to make food purchases.

Impact of the economic reform policy and COVID 19 on the seasonality of the most important Egyptian agricultural exports and imports

The research mainly aimed to study the impact of the economic reform policy and the Corona pandemic and seasonal factors on the prices of the most important Egyptian agricultural exports and imports. The most important results were the following: - By studying the trend analysis of the monthly average of the prices of the most important exported and imported commodities, it shows the real price increase over time per month for the exports of 17 commodities represented as "olive oil, dried fruits, Rumi cheese, aromatic oils and resins, dried onions, processed cheese, dried vegetables, white cheese, juices." Its foundations are oily seeds and fruits, onions and garlic, citrus fruits, preserved strawberries, frozen artichokes, processed potatoes, frozen vegetables, and potatoes. - Also found was that the economic reform policy had a statistically significant effect on the average real price of the exports of the 17 commodities under study, as well as the imports of meat, oils, sugar, beans, and wheat, in addition to the imports of the most important production requirements studied, such as seeds, pesticides, disinfectants, and fertilizers. that during the study period. - By studying the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the real monthly prices of exports and imports of the commodities under study, it was found that the average monthly price decreased in real prices for all commodities under study, except for oils and aromatic resins, but the statistical significance of the rates of decrease during the study period did not prove.

A global analysis of COVID-19 impact on agriculture

Background:The world has been facing a major crisis developed by the pandemic of Covid-19, which has made an impact on all spheres of human life. Every business sector and industry has been facing a difficult period, which seems to continue for some period of time. The primary aim of this study was to look at the global impact of Covid-19 on the agriculture sector all around the globe. To collect relevant data and information, a comprehensive review of the literature was conducted by following a qualitative research design, which means that no empirical research was conducted. So, after reviewing a range of literature on the impact of Covid-19, it was found that like many other sectors, the agriculture sector has also been hit hard by the pandemic of Covid-19. Things have been going through a difficult period, and even then, lockdown is being lifted in different parts of the world, the situation is still under dark skies. The global food supply chain, agricultural product supply, agricultural activity along farming has been largely affected, which has also made a negative impact on the income of farmers. So, it is time for policymakers to think deep to see weaknesses and vulnerabilities to deal with this negative global impact. Objectives: 1. To find out the global impact of Covid-19 on the agriculture sector. 2. To analyse the global change in food supply and agricultural product supply. Methods:The primary aim of this study was to look at the global impact of Covid-19 on the agriculture sector and its relevant sectors all around the world. The paper is looking into some relevant matters like how Covid-19 has made an impact on the agricultural supply chain, food supply chain, damage to agricultural export, as well as, effects on farming & farmers. It was also aimed to see how the agricultural income of farmers has been affected by the pandemic along with the effects on the value of the agricultural products. The overall food system of the world is dependent on the agriculture sector, and if things would be out of order in this sector, it was obvious to have an impact on other relevant sectors. So, the paper has taken a comprehensive review of literature based on recent research studies and data generated after the beginning of Covid-19 way back in December 2019. It is important to mention here that a lot of research data has been generated in the last year regarding the negative impact of Covid-19 on human life in so many ways. A lot of debate is based around the concepts of the social and economic impact of Covid-19, so this paper has dedicated its focus to reviewing the literature with regards to the agriculture sector. This study is based on a qualitative research design, where a literature review is used to collect information, and then making analysis to come up with some useful information to conclude findings. Results:Growing nations, fifteen from Africa followed by ten from Latin America, six from Oceania, and four from Asia, are the most susceptible to modifications that happened in the supply shocks in recent times. It concludes that the contemporary pandemic is likely to cause transitory food insecurity across such prone nations. Conclusions: They need to find alternative ways to keep things on the right track even when a pandemic comes harder at them. It is critical to mention here that a lot of negative global impact of Covid-19 on agriculture has been identified in this study;still, there is no systematic evidence and reasons to look at real-time data and results. So, policymakers should be closely looking at these systems and policy gaps to ensure they are better prepared next time. When enough dosage of the vaccine will be available for the masses, and this hard period will be over, it would be a time for policymakers and think tanks to sit together, review their weak points, and come up with a strong policy with the right direction to keep the world safe from such kind of pandemic in the future.

The food security of Algerian households in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory study

The study aims to survey a sample of Algerian households' opinions concerning their food security state under the COVID-19 pandemic. The electronic questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The study sample included 638 families distributed in 45 Algerian states. A set of results were reached, the most important are: the majority of households' opinions tended to highly agreed on the food commodities availability by relying mainly on national production during the COVID-19 pandemic period;families in the research sample weakly agreed to the stability of their supply of food commodities during the pandemic;the physical access to food commodities for families was affected differently, most families agreed moderately to their financial ability to obtain food commodities was weak compared to the period before the outbreak, the majority of the research sample agreed to a high degree to the quality and safety of food commodities obtained did not decline during this pandemic.

Strengthening food markets across the rural-urban continuum

The importance of maintaining functioning food markets in the face of global food supply chain vulnerability and disruption has brought new attention to markets that support local and territorial food systems. Drawing on lessons from Covid-19 impacts on rural and urban regions and their populations, this article presents proposals for these markets (formal and informal alike) to cope with future shocks.

Factors affecting the intention to buy organic food under the conditions of COVID-19 corona virus pandemy

Paying attention to the needs and wants of consumers is the first step to develop the market of organic products, because recognizing consumer behavior and examining the factors affecting it has a very important role in the success of any economic system. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the intention to buy organic food in the critical situation of the existence of the corona virus and risk perception posed by it as one of the factors affecting the consumer's intention to buy using the theory of planned behavior. For this purpose, the required data and information were collected in 2020 through field surveys and completing a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study included all the organic food consumers in Torbat-e Heydarieh county of Iran. Based on Cochran's formula, the sample size consisted of 210 people. Stratified random sampling method was used for sampling and selecting the individuals in the studid community and structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The results showed that the correlation coefficients of the organic food consumers' risk perception of corona virus with their attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and anticipated fear were 0.222, 0.65, 0.625 and 0.592, respectively and the consumer's attitude (0.452), risk perception (0.268) and anticipated fear (0.101) had the greatest impact on the intention to buy organic food. Therefore, by introducing the benefits of organic products through mass media, people's attitudes towards organic products can be changed;also, by informing the people of the society about the risk of the corona virus, it is possible to create the intention of placing organic products in the consumption basket of the household.

Research on the construction of a traceability system for imported cold chain food based on blockchain technology under COVID-19

[Purpose and significance] Since the initial outbreak of COVID-19, many local epidemics have been related to imported cold chain food, so the construction of an imported cold chain food traceability system is extremely urgent. In this paper, we propose the use of blockchain technology to build an imported cold chain food traceability system to achieve informatization of the whole chain for imported cold chain food. Under this system, when food quality or epidemic-related problems occur, it will be possible to clearly identify the responsible subject and trace the source of the problem to enable recall of products and other responses. The establishment of an imported cold chain food traceability system is of great significance in alleviating the pressure of the epidemic in China, improving regulatory efficiency, shaping the corporate brand image, and enhancing consumer trust. [Summary] First, we systematically categorize the reasons why imported cold chain food has repeatedly become a risk point during the epidemic. Second, we conduct a detailed analysis of the advantages of blockchain technology, which we propose to use to build an imported cold chain food traceability system;these advantages include its characteristics of decentralization and immutability. We also divide the traceability system into four layers: application, collection, communication, and data storage, and provide a brief description of each. Finally, in view of the difficulties and deficiencies faced in the construction of a blockchain traceability system, we put forward suggestions for improvement. In the context of normalization of the epidemic, an imported cold chain food traceability system based on blockchain technology can effectively solve the problems of information opacity, difficulties in information sharing, and poor information security. To enhance the application of blockchain technology to imported cold chain food traceability, we argue that the state, enterprises, and even consumers should participate in and use their different levels of power to contribute to the construction and development of a blockchain traceability system.

Imported cold chain food traceability management platform and innovative application

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out globally, and cold-chain food has become the key point of the task to prevent the coronavirus from spreading within the city/region or beyond. Using information tools like establishing a national cold-chain traceability management platform to control the risk of imported cold-chain food has become an important topic at present. The paper focuses on the technology used by provinces and cities in cold-chain traceability, and combined with the actual needs, analyzes the advantages of heterogeneous identification technology. This paper starts from the present situation, introducing the technical roadmap selecting of traceability of imported cold-chain food and elaborating the data circulation structure of traceability of imported cold-chain food. Based on that, this paper introduces the national traceability platform of imported cold-chain food and its core functions based on heterogeneous identification. Through the construction of a three-level framework with the national cold-chain traceability management platform, to make sure the cold chain food can be traceable and be manageable. Meanwhile, through the two applications of inter-provincial confirmation and data verification, the national management effect of imported cold chain food is improved. [Outlook] Currently, the platform mainly focuses on imported livestock, poultry and aquatic products. In the future, the traceability scope may be gradually expanded to help improve the management effect. Establishing the imported cold-chain food traceability platform has a good effect on improving the information management level and promoting the traceability efficiency of problematic food, which is conducive to ensuring food safety.

Construction and application of a cold chain logistics supervision platform for agricultural products in port areas during the COVID-19 pandemic

Diversification of agricultural imports is an important strategy for ensuring food security in China. During the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural cold chain logistics are facing new challenges but also a new round of rapid development opportunities. It's particularly critical to determine how to build the first line of defense in port areas for the supervision of agricultural products to ensure the safety and reliability of incoming cargo. In recent years, China has continued to strengthen the construction of its regulatory traceability system for imported agricultural products, but there are still weak links and a lack of connectivity in the overall construction of the system. In this paper, we propose a supervision platform that addresses the problems of weak correlation and traceability of the cold chain logistics information on agricultural products in port areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relying on low-power-based radio frequency identification technology, the platform is combined with wireless sensor networks to collect key real-time data on the microenvironment, including temperature and humidity, influencing the cold chain logistics links of imported agricultural products. The platform unites multiple entities, including production, distribution, operation, and supervision entities, to build a pool of basic information data, such as inspection and quarantine certificates, nucleic acid test reports, and disinfection certificates for imported agricultural products. It integrates the core technologies of the new generation, the Internet of Things, the Internet, big data, cloud computing, and block chain, and builds a standard data flow and database to identify the key links and elements affecting the quality and safety of agricultural products from a large amount of data with the help of advanced algorithms. We establish risk controls and early warnings for imported agricultural products, build a traceability model, and then explore the creation of a comprehensive supervision platform in the port area, undertaking key data cleaning, integration, analysis, and sharing. The platform provides powerful support for government supervision, analysis, and decision-making, including emergency responses and public inquiries, combines "physical defense" and "human defense" in the cold chain logistics network for imported agricultural products, and promotes the improvement of the supervisory system for cold chain logistics of agricultural products in port areas.

An credible traceability system for cold chain logistics developed for China's agricultural products in the context of COVID-19

Cold chain logistics is important for reducing post-harvest losses of agricultural products and ensuring the safety of agricultural products. COVID-19 cases related to cold chains have occasionally occurred, prompting considerable and widespread attention to cold chain logistics. The establishment of an effective traceability system for agricultural products within cold chain logistics is vital for ensuring their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving accurate traceability and recall. A study was conducted to assess the developmental status of cold chain logistics for China's agriculture products and identify challenges associated with cold chain logistics in the context of COVID-19. The study highlighted the advantages of blockchain-based traceability of agricultural products within cold chain logistics. Accordingly, a blockchain-based system was constructed for ensuring effective traceability of agricultural products within cold chain logistics extending from the production to the sales areas (i.e., from the field to the table). First, the demand for a traceability system was analyzed in detail from the perspective of the government, enterprises, and consumers. Second, six layers of the system architecture, comprising perceptions, data, networks, and the core, application, and user layers were delineated. Next, a storage mechanism and the system flow were designed and analyzed, and the on-chain and off-chain storage mechanisms of the "Inter Planetary File System+ blockchain" were applied for data storage, thereby addressing the deficiency of the blockchain and improving the operation and query efficiency of the traceability system. Lastly, the main functions of three respective ports for the government, enterprises, and consumers were introduced. This system can effectively resolve various challenges, such as tracing the entire process of cold chain logistics for agricultural products and a lack of clarity regarding assigned responsibility. Thus, the traceability of the entire process of cold chain logistics for agricultural products can be achieved, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of oversight of agricultural production, which ensures the quality and safety of agricultural products and strengthens consumers' trust in food safety.

Distribution of agricultural products via the internet

In an environment in which the modern technologies are dynamically entering, the issue of distribution of agricultural products via the Internet is very important. Online commerce has entered the business, further developing the traditional distribution philosophy. At present, the society is facing restrictions of various kinds. Until recently, one of them covered the trade in the so-called "physical shops", as people who do not present/ do not have a "green certificate" were not allowed. During the period of pandemic restrictions, people increasingly began to turn to online shopping for all kinds of goods and services as a major alternative to physical shopping. Even after the abolition of the Covid Measures, interest in online orders remains very high on the part of the manufacturer, because the economic cost is reduced, as well as on the part of consumers who already have acquired habits for online shopping. The aim of the study is to analyze the effect of the distribution of agricultural products via the Internet in terms of consumer interest based on anonymous surveys. The result provides specific guidelines for producers, through which they could improve the sales of agricultural products and expand the market share of online distribution.