An Agri-Fintech Blockchain-IoT Framework for Deforestation-Free Cocoa Value Chain: A Nigerian Case Study

Nigeria, the world's fourth-largest cocoa producer, loses an estimated 25-30% of export value due to systemic failures in its value chain: pre-harvest finance diversion, quality adulteration, inaccurate moisture-adjusted weighing, and inability to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR 2023/1115). This study proposes and designs the Interswitch Cocoa Integrity Platform (ICIP), an integrated six-module agri-fintech stack that combines blockchain escrow, biometric identity (BVN), Internet of Things (IoT) sensing, computer vision (YOLOv8), near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, satellite geofencing, and DNA barcoding (LAMP assay). A pilot design for Ondo State (n=500 farmers across Idanre, Ile-oluji, and Ife) is presented. The methodology employs a Design Science Research (DSR) approach with mixed methods: field ethnography of Local Buying Agents (LBAs), hardware prototyping (ESP32, Raspberry Pi 4), and satellite analysis using Sentinel-2 and Global Forest Watch APIs. The proposed system demonstrates potential to reduce finance diversion from 35% to <5%, improve moisture compliance from 60% to 95%, enable 100% bag-level traceability, and generate EUDR-compliant Due Diligence Statements. This work contributes to agri-fintech literature by positioning a payment switch as commodity trust infrastructure.