This systematic review of precision agriculture reveals that some academics make claims about PA and sustainability without presenting adequate evidence. Of 444 English-language academic publications on PA and sustainability, it found 54 papers with field-trial or modelling evidence, and most evidence exists for variable rate technologies in grain farming.
Precision agriculture (PA) is widely presented as a solution to the contemporary problem of feeding the world while conserving natural resources and limiting environmental harms.
In this review paper, we summarize the field trial evidence demonstrating that PA use leads to environmental benefits.