ANNOUNCEMENTS
Agriculture is the backbone of rural economies across the globe and smallholder farmers constitute the majority of the farming population in developing countries. However, low productivity resulting from inefficient resource use and climate change risks continue to threaten their livelihoods. Women farmers, though not evident at first glance, have a significant role in agriculture. Nonetheless, they face additional barriers such as limited land ownership, restricted access to credit, and exclusion from digital and technical knowledge-sharing platforms. These constraints have led to lower farm productivity and reduced economic opportunities.
The integration of precision agriculture (PA) and artificial intelligence (AI) presents a significant opportunity to address these challenges. PA technologies, among them remote sensing, automated irrigation, GPS-guided machinery, and soil nutrient mapping, help optimize resource use, reduce costs, and increase yields. Similarly, AI-driven solutions that include machine learning models for pest prediction, AI-led decision-support systems, and blockchain-based market access, can enhance efficiency, climate resilience, and profitability, which is particularly critical for smallholders and women farmers.
Despite these advantages, the adoption of PA and AI has remained quite low among smallholders and women farmers due to:
• High costs and lack of access to financing.
• Limited digital literacy and training programs.
• Inadequate policy support and infrastructure.
• Gender disparities in agricultural extension services and access to technology.
To ensure equity in access to these technologies, focused policy interventions, financial support, and capacity-building initiatives are needed.
Keywords: Precision Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Smallholders, Women Farmers, enhanced productivity, improved efficiency
