Mitigation of the Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture Through the Adoption of Precision Agriculture Technologies

Agriculture is one of the main causes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while climate change affects agriculture with mainly higher water demand and reduced crop yields due to drought. New technologies offer enhanced precision management practices from tillage to harvest. Precision Agriculture (PA) aims to manage crops in a more efficient manner. PA technologies have the potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change by providing agricultural input reductions (water, fertilizer, pesticide, etc.), fuel savings, lower GHG emissions, less environmental pollution, higher yield, lower costs, increased profitability, and sustained natural resources. The adoption of PA technologies has been increasing especially in developed countries with bigger farm sizes, while they are also being adopted in developing countries. The most widely adopted technology is automatic steering reaching up to 80% in some regions of various countries. Aerial application of fertilizers and pesticides using drones has the potential to reduce water consumption. Yet, there are concerns regarding the threats to PA technologies such as data privacy, theft of data, signal disruption, and cyber-attacks on farming systems. This chapter presents some basic information about PA technologies and highlights their benefits, adoption rate, and future trends from the perspective of climate change, sustainability, and food security.