A Blockchain solution to Traditional Ownership Security and Product Provenance in the Australian Bushfood Industry
Tracks
Kuranda Ballroom
| Monday, July 27, 2026 |
| 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM |
Speaker
Prof Kim Bryceson
Honorary
University of Queensland
A Blockchain solution to Traditional Ownership Security and Product Provenance in the Australian Bushfood Industry
ISE Congress 2026 Abstract
We discuss how a solution based on blockchain technologies can address aspects of the Nagoya
Protocol (NP) which is an agreement under international law, entered into by over 70 countries, about the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from the utilisation of genetic resources. In particular, the NP includes traditional knowledge associated with plants, particularly with provisions on access, benefit-sharing and compliance where Indigenous and local communities have the established right to grant access to them.
Indigenous communities have long been custodians of the resources, knowledge and culture linked to bushfood products. However, the commercialisation and sales of bushfood products often occurs without adequate acknowledgement of indigenous assets or compensation to Indigenous owners.
As part of a 5 year ARC Indigenous Discovery Grant (A Deadly Solution: Combining Traditional Knowledge and Western Science for an Indigenous-led Bushfood Industry), we have investigated blockchain technologies such as tokenisation to help to protect and monetise the Indigenous Traditional Ownership of bushfood products. Blockchain tokenisation, by converting an asset – physical or virtual – into a digital token on a blockchain network, offers a digital representation of the unique ownership of indigenous assets associated with bushfood products and the product's provenance. The digital tokens created can be exchanged and traded on a blockchain platform to streamline the security of ownership and cultural knowledge, provenance of products, and the flows of value.
We describe the building of a blockchain based solution for the bushfood industry that addresses the key issues discussed above and which not only helps to assert the traditional ownership of, and cultural knowledge associated with, bushfood products held by indigenous communities, but can also serve as a “license to trade” to facilitate fair trade and value exchange in bushfood transactions.
Protocol (NP) which is an agreement under international law, entered into by over 70 countries, about the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from the utilisation of genetic resources. In particular, the NP includes traditional knowledge associated with plants, particularly with provisions on access, benefit-sharing and compliance where Indigenous and local communities have the established right to grant access to them.
Indigenous communities have long been custodians of the resources, knowledge and culture linked to bushfood products. However, the commercialisation and sales of bushfood products often occurs without adequate acknowledgement of indigenous assets or compensation to Indigenous owners.
As part of a 5 year ARC Indigenous Discovery Grant (A Deadly Solution: Combining Traditional Knowledge and Western Science for an Indigenous-led Bushfood Industry), we have investigated blockchain technologies such as tokenisation to help to protect and monetise the Indigenous Traditional Ownership of bushfood products. Blockchain tokenisation, by converting an asset – physical or virtual – into a digital token on a blockchain network, offers a digital representation of the unique ownership of indigenous assets associated with bushfood products and the product's provenance. The digital tokens created can be exchanged and traded on a blockchain platform to streamline the security of ownership and cultural knowledge, provenance of products, and the flows of value.
We describe the building of a blockchain based solution for the bushfood industry that addresses the key issues discussed above and which not only helps to assert the traditional ownership of, and cultural knowledge associated with, bushfood products held by indigenous communities, but can also serve as a “license to trade” to facilitate fair trade and value exchange in bushfood transactions.
Biography
Prof Kim Bryceson is an Honorary Professor in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability at the University of Queensland. After a career at UQ in developing and using technologies in the Agrifood industry - in particular remote sensing and logistics technologies - she is the Chief Investigator of the Blockchain Solution Theme in the ARC Indigenous Discovery Project 'A Deadly Solution: Combining Traditional Knowledge and Western Science for an Indigenous-led Bushfood Industry'.
