The global tea industry is under considerable financial pressure. Plantations and companies are going out of business or moving away from tea. How much greater, then, the impact on smallholder tea farmers struggling to make a living and feed their families while tea prices fluctuate or stagnate. NGOs and governments are seeking solutions. But perhaps the tea industry itself is best placed to protect those at the start of its value chain… with a little help from new technology?
International tea industry expert, John Snell, will share insights into the use of block chain and smart contracts aiming to increase transparency in tea production and sale so that tea farmers can be assured a living income.
“The imbalance in supply and demand is a product of many factors. Political influence often outweighs commercial intelligence, which is adding to the marginalization of those at the beginning of the supply chain. This is adding risk to industry players and adversely affecting the sustainability of communities and the trade they serve. Credible information sharing up and down the supply chain is needed to bring the trade back into balance and ensure a sustainable future for tea and for those working in it. Smart contracts can deliver immutable data that all can trust and work with to better the industry and, as such, should be given serious consideration for trade adoption.” John Snell
Tea industry stakeholders at all levels of the value chain are warmly invited to join us for what promises to be a fascinating and thought-provoking presentation from one of the tea industry’s most experiencend and insightful thinkers. Your reflections and ideas during the discussion following his talk will add to the richness of the session.
