IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i3p1158-d485309.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Precision Agriculture for Resource Use Efficiency in Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Cecilia M. Onyango

    (Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 29053-00625, Nairobi 00625, Kenya)

  • Justine M. Nyaga

    (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Embu, P.O. Box 6-60100, Embu 60100, Kenya)

  • Johanna Wetterlind

    (Department of Soil and Environment, Precision Agriculture and Pedometrics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 234, 53223 Skara, Sweden)

  • Mats Söderström

    (Department of Soil and Environment, Precision Agriculture and Pedometrics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 234, 53223 Skara, Sweden)

  • Kristin Piikki

    (Department of Soil and Environment, Precision Agriculture and Pedometrics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 234, 53223 Skara, Sweden
    The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), c/o ICIPE—International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Duduville Campus Off Kasarani Road, P.O. Box 823-0062, Nairobi 0062, Kenya)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Cecilia M. Onyango & Justine M. Nyaga & Johanna Wetterlind & Mats Söderström & Kristin Piikki, 2021. "Precision Agriculture for Resource Use Efficiency in Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:3:p:1158-:d:485309
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/3/1158/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/3/1158/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nadja Reinhardt & Ludger Herrmann, 2017. "Fusion of indigenous knowledge and gamma spectrometry for soil mapping to support knowledge-based extension in Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(6), pages 1271-1284, December.
    2. Nyakudya, Innocent Wadzanayi & Stroosnijder, Leo & Nyagumbo, Isaiah, 2014. "Infiltration and planting pits for improved water management and maize yield in semi-arid Zimbabwe," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 30-46.
    3. Lowder, Sarah K. & Skoet, Jakob & Raney, Terri, 2016. "The Number, Size, and Distribution of Farms, Smallholder Farms, and Family Farms Worldwide," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 16-29.
    4. Florax, Raymond J. G. M. & Voortman, Roelf L. & Brouwer, Joost, 2002. "Spatial dimensions of precision agriculture: a spatial econometric analysis of millet yield on Sahelian coversands," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 425-443, November.
    5. Müller, T. & Ranquet Bouleau, C. & Perona, P., 2016. "Optimizing drip irrigation for eggplant crops in semi-arid zones using evolving thresholds," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 54-65.
    6. A. S. Sodiya & A. T. Akinwale & K. A. Okeleye & J. A. Emmanuel, 2010. "An Integrated Decision Support System for Intercropping," International Journal of Decision Support System Technology (IJDSST), IGI Global, vol. 2(3), pages 51-66, July.
    7. Maine, Ntsikane & Nell, Wilhelm T. & Lowenberg-DeBoer, James & Alemu, Zerihun Gudeta, 2007. "Economic Analysis of Phosphorus Applications under Variable and Single-Rate Applications in the Bothaville District," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 46(4), pages 1-16, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Phiri, Augustine Talababie & Zhao, Xiaohui & Chen, Qihui, 2024. "Revitalizing Smallholder Farming in Africa: Insights from China's Science and Technology Backyard Model," Research on World Agricultural Economy, Nan Yang Academy of Sciences Pte Ltd (NASS), vol. 5(2), May.
    2. Suresh, Kanesh & Narmilan, A. & Kariapper, R.K. Ahmadh Rifai & Nawaz, S. Sabraz & Suresh, Jeyapraba, 2022. "Farmers’ Perception on Precision Farming Technologies: A Novel Approach," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), June.
    3. Stavros Kalogiannidis & Christina-Ioanna Papadopoulou & Efstratios Loizou & Fotios Chatzitheodoridis, 2023. "Risk, Vulnerability, and Resilience in Agriculture and Their Impact on Sustainable Rural Economy Development: A Case Study of Greece," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-20, June.
    4. Snapp, Sieglinde, 2022. "Embracing variability in soils on smallholder farms: New tools and better science," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    5. Chin-Ling Lee & Robert Strong & Kim E. Dooley, 2021. "Analyzing Precision Agriculture Adoption across the Globe: A Systematic Review of Scholarship from 1999–2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-15, September.
    6. Dorijan Radočaj & Ivan Plaščak & Mladen Jurišić, 2023. "Global Navigation Satellite Systems as State-of-the-Art Solutions in Precision Agriculture: A Review of Studies Indexed in the Web of Science," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-17, July.
    7. Gilbert E. Mushi & Giovanna Di Marzo Serugendo & Pierre-Yves Burgi, 2022. "Digital Technology and Services for Sustainable Agriculture in Tanzania: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Patil, Vikram & Ghosh, Ranjan & Kathuria, Vinish & Farrell, Katharine N., 2020. "Money, Land or self-employment? Understanding preference heterogeneity in landowners’ choices for compensation under land acquisition in India," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    2. Luis Bauluz & Yajna Govind & Filip Novokmet, 2020. "Global Land Inequality," PSE Working Papers halshs-03022318, HAL.
    3. Islam, Md. Mofakkarul & Sarker, Md. Asaduzzaman & Al Mamun, Md. Abdullah & Mamun-ur-Rashid, Md. & Roy, Debashis, 2021. "Stepping Up versus Stepping Out: On the outcomes and drivers of two alternative climate change adaptation strategies of smallholders," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    4. Livia Marchetti & Valentina Cattivelli & Claudia Cocozza & Fabio Salbitano & Marco Marchetti, 2020. "Beyond Sustainability in Food Systems: Perspectives from Agroecology and Social Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    5. Anne Jerneck, 2018. "What about Gender in Climate Change? Twelve Feminist Lessons from Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Rodríguez del Valle, Adrián & Fernández-Vázquez, Esteban, 2024. "Analyzing market power of the agricultural industry in Asia," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 652-669.
    7. SIngh Verma, Juhee & Sharma, Pritee, 2019. "Potential of Organic Farming to Mitigate Climate Change and Increase Small Farmers’ Welfare," MPRA Paper 99994, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Hurley, Mason, 2016. "Re-examining Changes in Farm Size Distributions Worldwide Using a Modified Generalized Method of Moments Approach," Master's Theses and Plan B Papers 249287, University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics.
    9. Yuta J. Masuda & Jonathan R.B. Fisher & Wei Zhang & Carolina Castilla & Timothy M. Boucher & Genowefa Blundo‐Canto, 2020. "A respondent‐driven method for mapping small agricultural plots using tablets and high resolution imagery," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 727-748, July.
    10. Koolwal, Gayatri B., 2021. "Improving the measurement of rural women's employment: Global momentum and survey priorities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    11. Manhisse, Nelson & Ogawa, Keiichi, 2024. "Smallholder households and children’s schooling in primary education in Mozambique," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    12. Yuewen Huo & Songlin Ye & Zhou Wu & Fusuo Zhang & Guohua Mi, 2022. "Barriers to the Development of Agricultural Mechanization in the North and Northeast China Plains: A Farmer Survey," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, February.
    13. Dang, Hai-Anh H & Carletto, Calogero, 2022. "Recall Bias Revisited: Measure Farm Labor Using Mixed-Mode Surveys and Multiple Imputation," IZA Discussion Papers 14997, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Ilia Alomía Herrera & Rose Paque & Michiel Maertens & Veerle Vanacker, 2022. "History of Land Cover Change on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-24, July.
    15. Zhiqi Zheng & Hongbo Zhao & Zhengdao Liu & Jin He & Wenzheng Liu, 2021. "Research Progress and Development of Mechanized Potato Planters: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-27, June.
    16. Hung‐Hao Chang & Ashok K. Mishra & Tzong‐Haw Lee, 2019. "A supply‐side analysis of agritourism: Evidence from farm‐level agriculture census data in Taiwan," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 63(3), pages 521-548, July.
    17. Peipei Yang & Wenxu Dong & Marius Heinen & Wei Qin & Oene Oenema, 2022. "Soil Compaction Prevention, Amelioration and Alleviation Measures Are Effective in Mechanized and Smallholder Agriculture: A Meta-Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-18, April.
    18. Regan, Courtney M. & Connor, Jeffery D. & Summers, David M. & Settre, Claire & O’Connor, Patrick J. & Cavagnaro, Timothy R., 2020. "The influence of crediting and permanence periods on Australian forest-based carbon offset supply," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    19. Ruth Hill & Carolina Mejia-Mantilla & Kathryn Vasilaky, 2021. "Is the Price Right? Returns to Input Adoption in Uganda," Working Papers 2105, California Polytechnic State University, Department of Economics.
    20. T. S. Amjath-Babu & Pramod K. Aggarwal & Sonja Vermeulen, 2019. "Climate action for food security in South Asia? Analyzing the role of agriculture in nationally determined contributions to the Paris agreement," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 283-298, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:3:p:1158-:d:485309. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.