article · Food and Energy Security
Agriculture employs over half of the adult population in sub-Saharan Africa and contributes significantly to regional GDP, yet the adoption of precision agriculture among smallholder farmers remains low. Case studies indicate that low-cost, localised, and gender-inclusive precision agriculture innovations can boost uptake. However, implementation is hindered by high upfront technology costs, limited internet connectivity, low digital literacy, limited access to financial services, and a lack of tailored training. Overcoming these barriers requires co-creating affordable tools, offering flexible financing, enabling offline functionality, and integrating precision agriculture into educational curricula and agricultural extension systems. Additionally, strengthening data management systems and fostering gender inclusivity are critical to maintaining long-term use. A coordinated ecosystem bringing together farmers, developers, researchers, and policymakers is necessary to drive sustainable agricultural production, enhance climate resilience, and improve food security across the region.
Agriculture is a primary livelihood for most adults in sub-Saharan Africa, directly influencing regional economic growth and food security. Identifying the specific operational, financial, and digital constraints that hold back modern farming technologies enables partners to design targeted interventions. Addressing these practical hurdles helps smallholder farmers boost sustainable food production and build resilience against climate-related challenges.
The findings highlight commercial opportunities for technology developers and financial service providers to create low-cost precision agriculture tools equipped with offline functionality. Target users are smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa who require bespoke, gender-inclusive solutions and flexible financing schemes. Because the work synthesises recent initiatives and identified barriers rather than reporting on a specific new product, market deployment depends on active cross-sector collaboration between developers, researchers, and policymakers.
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ABSTRACT Precision agriculture (PA) holds enormous potential for smallholder farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), where agriculture remains central to economic development, employing more than half of the adult population and contributing significantly to GDP. However, adoption rates remain low. This communication examines the potential benefits, challenges and possible pathways for increasing uptake among smallholders in SSA. Drawing from recent initiatives and case studies, successful applications demonstrate that low‐cost, localised and gender inclusive PA innovations can increase adoption among smallholders. However, challenges such as high upfront technology costs, limited internet connectivity, low digital literacy, limited access to financial services and a lack of tailored training remain significant barriers. Addressing these barriers requires the co‐creation of affordable technologies and flexible financing schemes, the provision of support services, offline functionality and integrating PA into the educational curriculum and extension systems in SSA to build capacity to sustain adoption. Furthermore, promoting gender inclusivity and strengthening data management systems are equally important for long‐term success. By addressing these barriers, PA can drive sustainable agricultural production, improve food security and enhance climate resilience. This communication highlights the need for coordination among farmers, developers, researchers and policymakers to foster a robust PA ecosystem for smallholder farmers in SSA.
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DOI: 10.1002/fes3.70310
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