Precision Agriculture Technologies and Their Applicability for Nigerian Smallholder Conditions

This study evaluates the applicability of precision agriculture technologies for improving input use efficiency and productivity in Nigerian smallholder farming conditions. Precision agriculture, which uses sensor-based and geospatial technologies to manage spatial variability in crop production inputs, has transformed farming in developed countries but is considered difficult to apply in smallholder contexts due to farm scale, cost, and infrastructure limitations. This study systematically assesses the technical requirements, cost structure, and operational feasibility of precision agriculture technologies including soil sensing, variable rate application, UAV crop monitoring, and yield mapping for Nigerian smallholder conditions. The assessment combines literature review, technology supplier surveys, and field trials at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta and Ahmadu Bello University research farms. Smallholder-appropriate precision technology bundles are identified and their cost-effectiveness computed under representative farm size and value assumptions. Findings reveal that while full precision agriculture systems are economically infeasible for typical smallholders below 5 hectares, specific precision technology components show strong cost-effectiveness. Variable rate fertiliser application using simple soil colour matching reduces fertiliser cost by 18 percent. UAV crop monitoring for disease and pest detection shows viability as a shared community service at village level. Simple grid soil sampling can economically guide variable fertiliser application for farms above 2 hectares. The study recommends a step-wise precision agriculture development framework calibrated to Nigerian farm scale realities.

Keywords: precision agriculture, smallholder farming, Nigeria, UAV, variable rate application.