Period.
And the problem is human frailty, from laziness to avarice to fear, and the folks entrusted to certify the input are susceptible to any number of inducements, coercions and scams. James Madison, in a completely different context, the purpose and restraint of government nailed it in The Federalist #51:
"...Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself...."So. with that rather esoteric digression we're off.
From AgFunder News:
Alibaba’s financial services arm Ant Financial has teamed up with Bayer Crop Science to develop an agricultural product monitoring system based on blockchain. The two parties aim to increase efficiency for the food and crops industry with the new tech, with the goal of helping farmers to increase their yield and ensure that their crops are of high quality.Whenever I use the "men are not angels" quote I try to remind myself of another use of angels in American letters, the peroration of Lincoln's First Inaugural Address (which, by the way, appears to have gotten into the speech by way of Chas. Dickens):
“We are excited to join hands with Bayer Crop Science to explore the application of blockchain technology in agriculture. Agriculture is the foundation of human civilization,” said George Jiang, General Manager of Ant Financials’ Intelligent Technology Group, in the release. “Together with Bayer, our exploration of blockchain in agriculture will improve the transparency and responsiveness of its supply chain, and bring more value to consumers, farmers and the society.”
Ant Financial is 33% owned by Alibaba. It was established in 2014 and based in Hangzhou, China. The subsidiary’s brands include Alipay, one of the country’s largest mobile payment services.
However, neither Bayer nor Ant Financial have shed light on the value of the deal or the structure of their business relationship.
AFN has reached out to Bayer and Alibaba for more details on the upcoming tech. Stay tuned for updates.“By working side-by-side, we strive to assist the agriculture industry on its transformation in the new era, enhance the application of advanced agricultural technologies, increase agriculture production efficiency, improve farmers’ incomes, and protect food safety,” said Weidong Huang, the head of Bayer Crop Science’s Greater China division.
Bayer Crop Science has been actively working on the blockchain developments. Earlier this year, it signed a deal with BlockApps, a ConsenSys spinout....MORE
"... I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."The "mystic chords of memory" is pretty evocative as well, eh?
Back to better angels, blockchain or cultural chain, Dickens probably got it from Shakespeare.
