Beyond Technology Adoption: A Resource-orchestrated Causal Model of Blockchain-enabled Sustainability in Agricultural Supply Chains

Abstract

Indonesia’s agricultural supply chains are characterized by fragmentation, smallholder dominance, and limited traceability, which constrain sustainability performance and compliance with emerging global standards. While blockchain has been widely proposed as a solution, its adoption in emerging agricultural systems remains uneven and insufficiently understood from a systemic and resource-oriented perspective. This study develops a resource-orchestrated causal model of blockchain adoption in Indonesia’s sustainable agricultural supply chains, grounded in the Resource- Based View (RBV). A Modified Delphi process is employed to validate 61 enablers across 11 resource-based dimensions, followed by DEMATEL analysis to identify their hierarchical interdependencies and causal structure. The results reveal that organizational capabilities and resource-based innovation serve as primary drivers, while sustainability, profitability, and competitive advantage emerge as dependent outcomes. This indicates that sustainability performance is not an initial trigger of blockchain adoption but an emergent consequence of coordinated resource alignment, governance mechanisms, and capability development. By integrating consensus-based validation with causal modeling, this study advances blockchain adoption research beyond deterministic approaches toward a systemic, capability-driven perspective. The study provides both theoretical and policy-relevant contributions by offering a structured framework for understanding and implementing blockchain-enabled digital transformation in fragmented agricultural systems.