Development of integrated supply chains and digitalization of agricultural product sales channels
TL;DR
A conceptual five-level model of the digital lifecycle of agricultural supply has been developed, which minimizes the human factor, expands small businesses’ access to international markets, ensures transparent certification of grain batches, and lays the groundwork for the full integration of the domestic agricultural sector into the European Union’s single digital economic space.
Abstract
The article provides a theoretical overview of the determinants of agri-food supply chain integration and develops a conceptual multi-level model for the digitalization of agricultural product sales channels. It shows that traditional linear distribution channels have exhausted their adaptive capacity amid geopolitical turbulence, climate risks, and rising transaction costs. To address the systemic exclusion of primary agricultural producers from value creation, the article proposes a transition to cyber-physical supply chains based on Industry 4.0 technologies. The article substantiates the economic impact of structural market disintermediation achieved through B2B agricultural exchanges, Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) services, and logistics aggregators. The study outlines a synergistic technology stack: IoT sensors ensure continuous quality control and reduce physical raw material losses by 20–35%; blockchain and smart contracts optimize fund deposits via escrow, eliminating non-payment risk; and artificial intelligence algorithms enable predictive pricing and dynamic routing. The study finds that digitalizing sales channels reduces transaction costs by 15–25%, accelerates capital turnover by 4–8 times, cuts transport downtime by 40–50%, and increases selling prices for farmers by 7–15%. The paper focuses on Ukraine’s agricultural logistics under martial law, the redirection of export flows to Danube ports and western border crossings, and the role of the State Agrarian Registry (SAR) and the “eQueue” system in restoring export potential. A conceptual five-level model of the digital lifecycle of agricultural supply (“from field to settlement”) has been developed; this model minimizes the human factor, expands small businesses’ access to international markets, ensures transparent certification of grain batches, and lays the groundwork for the full integration of the domestic agricultural sector into the European Union’s single digital economic space. Keywords: agricultural logistics, supply chains, sales digitalization, Industry 4.0, smart contracts, blockchain, Internet of Things, B2B platforms.