Agriculture, and particularly animal husbandry, is currently facing major challenges, such as ensuring food quality and creating sustainable value chains. Regional and global food security, animal welfare, efficient use of raw materials, climate and environmental protection, and their interactions play a prominent role in addressing these challenges.

To address the challenges regarding food quality and sustainable value chains, the digitization of food supply chains seems necessary in order to generate and analyze associated data. Digitization harnesses the potential of novel technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain or Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), to improve the productivity, quality, and sustainability of food supply chains. For example, DLT has the potential to increase productivity and ensure quality by improving food traceability.

Within the research project SPECK (Systemic optimization of the meat value chain using the example of pig farming through the development and embedding of digital tools), the research group critical information infrastructures (cii), works in collaboration with the University of Kassel, the research group industrial management and production (IIP) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and industrial partners. The aim of the research project is to improve the meat value chain by developing and embedding digital tools (e.g., Distributed Ledger Technology) and developing a digital application for optimized, animal-specific traceability and for continuous process diagnostics and process control along the value chain. In this notion, we focus on the following sub-goals:

- Ensuring traceability of animal-related data within the value chain, including the use of medications in pig farming.

- Further development and implementation of Smart Farming and Smart Food Factory concepts

- Increasing resource and energy efficiency, animal welfare and product quality

- Reduction of rejects and emissions both in animal husbandry and downstream.