Abstract
Opportunities exist for adoption of precision agriculture technologies in all parts of the world. The form of precision agriculture may vary from region to region depending on technologies available, knowledge levels and mindsets. The current review examined research articles in the English language on precision agriculture practices for increased productivity among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 7715 articles were retrieved and after screening 128 were reviewed. The results indicate that a number of precision agriculture technologies have been tested under SSA conditions and show promising results. The most promising precision agriculture technologies identified were the use of soil and plant sensors for nutrient and water management, as well as use of satellite imagery, GIS and crop-soil simulation models for site-specific management. These technologies have been shown to be crucial in attainment of appropriate management strategies in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of resource use in SSA. These technologies are important in supporting sustainable agricultural development. Most of these technologies are, however, at the experimental stage, with only South Africa having applied them mainly in large-scale commercial farms. It is concluded that increased precision in input and management practices among SSA smallholder farmers can significantly improve productivity even without extra use of inputs.
Highlights
Designing soil and crop management practices in relation to variations in the field environment in terms of soil type, moisture and nutrient contents is not new to farmers.This was especially so to small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) before the agrarian revolution when they planned their management practices based on site conditions to optimize the use of soil resources and external inputs
The results of the review show that a number of precision agriculture (PA) technologies have been tested and some used for efficient resource use under SSA conditions
The use of sensor technologies for precision crop production by farmers was evaluated in Nigeria where the crops include maize, cassava, cowpea and yams among others, and it was realized that most farmers lack the necessary knowhow for effective use of the technology in crop farming
Summary
Designing soil and crop management practices in relation to variations in the field environment in terms of soil type, moisture and nutrient contents is not new to farmers. This was especially so to small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) before the agrarian revolution when they planned their management practices based on site conditions to optimize the use of soil resources and external inputs. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1158 other information to support management decisions according to estimated variability for improved resource use efficiency, productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability of agricultural production”. The goal of precision agriculture (PA) is to remedy that and the official definition of PA by the International Society for Precision Agriculture is “A management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes temporal, spatial and individual data and combines them with
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