Newcastle University

Precision agriculture describes approaches to use emerging technologies, especially information technologies, to improve decision-making and efficiencies in agricultural production (McBratney et al., 2005). In cropping systems it is often referred to as site-specific crop management (SSCM). While SSCM is often associated with ‘high-tech’ agriculture (Srbinovska et al., 2015:297), it is not compulsory to have a high-cost, advanced technology involved. There are also low-cost options to improve the spatial and temporal resolution of decision-making on-farm (Mondal and Basu, 2009:660) and smart-technologies (such as phones) are making these more accessible. Specifically, SSCM focuses on the site-specific monitoring and managing of within-field variation in crop quantity and quality (e.g. adjusting variable rate control of inputs, tailoring fertiliser application to site-specific field conditions). This is in contrast to more traditional agricultural practices that rely on field averages to derive uniform management decisions.

The purpose of precision agriculture techniques and technology is to create a decision support system to ''maximize food production, minimize environmental impact and reduce cost''. In other words, precision agriculture could be used by farmers to tailor the application of inputs to the local crop needs (e.g. matching the use of fertiliser to crop potential or targeted agri-chemical application), which leads to ''cost reduction, competitive output and environmental impact''. Moreover, thanks to record trail provided by this practice, ''enhanced traceability of farming activities could be obtained for consumers and administration''. (Sasse et al., 2016:78).

McBratney, A.B. et al. (2005) Future Directions of Precision Agriculture, Precision Agriculture, 6(1), pp7-23

Mondal, P. and Basu, M. (2008) 'Adoption of precision agriculture technologies in India and in some developing countries: Scope, present status and strategies', Journal of Progress in Natural Science, 19, pp. 659 - 666. 

Sasse, M.Z. et al. (2016) 'Applications of precision agriculture in horticultural crops', Journal of Horticultural Science, 81(2), pp. 78 - 90.

Srbinovska, M. et al. (2015) 'Environmental parameters monitoring in precision agriculture using wireless sensor networks', Journal of Cleaner Production, 88, pp. 297 - 307.