A Lightweight Cryptography Framework for Secure mAgriculture: Securing IoT Endpoints for a Blockchain-based Traceability System in Ghana

Ghana's agricultural sector, vital for exports like cocoa, faces significant traceability challenges in meeting international standards, primarily due to critical security vulnerabilities in m-Agriculture systems. These challenges stem from resource-constrained Internet of Things (IoT) sensors on farms, which lack the computational power for traditional, heavyweight encryption, leaving collected data insecure. This paper aims to address this vulnerability by proposing a Lightweight Cryptography (LWC) framework designed to provide robust, efficient security for these IoT endpoints, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of data before it is recorded on a blockchain. Using a conceptual framework design methodology, the proposed framework is structured around a hybrid security architecture integrating three core components: Lightweight On-Device Encryption, Data Authentication Protocols, and Secure Channel Transmission. It aligns with the performance principles of NIST-standardized LWC algorithms, such as Ascon, and is designed to integrate directly with immutable blockchain ledgers, providing a verifiable chain of custody. Adopting the proposed LWC framework provides a feasible pathway to a trusted, end-to-end traceability system, securing data from the farm to the port, building farmer trust, and ensuring compliance with international regulatory demands.