A Mobile Blockchain-Based Application for Record-Keeping in Branchless Banking Services for Farmers in Qunu

Blockchain techniques are being used in all industry sectors now as a way of recording and storing information. Although blockchain only started being fully utilized recently, it has shaped many industries, including agriculture. This being the case, many small-scale farmers from the Qunu area in South Africa still do not have bank accounts and therefore cannot provide the credit records required for the funding of their agricultural activities. To counteract this problem, a mobile application called Block Records was developed in this research to help rural farmers have databases of their transaction records and make those records publicly accessible with the use of blockchain technologies. A design science research approach was followed in developing the artefact. This mobile application will enable the farmers to store their records on their mobile devices, print a transaction statement, if necessary, whilst also uploading the information onto a public blockchain platform where the funders can access it. The application developed in this research is a native platform mobile application that is supported only on Android devices.