SMALLHOLDER FARMING / PRACTICAL GUIDES
Precision agriculture for smallholder farmers
Precision agriculture means using information about differences within a farm to make more specific decisions. For a smallholder farmer, the starting point can be a careful observation, a simple record and a clear reason to act.
Start with a question in the field
A field is not necessarily uniform. One area may drain differently, grow unevenly or show a concentration of visible symptoms. Precision agriculture asks where a difference occurs, what might explain it, and whether it calls for a different response. The purpose of collecting information is to improve that decision.
For a maize or vegetable plot in Ghana, a useful first question might be: are the affected plants clustered in one area or scattered throughout the plot? Recording that pattern gives a farmer and extension officer more context than a single photograph of one leaf. It does not, on its own, establish the cause.
A simple observation-to-decision routine
Choose a question that matters this season. Note the date, crop and part of the field. Record what you see in consistent terms, using a notebook, photographs or another tool that fits your routine. Compare affected and unaffected areas, then discuss the pattern with someone who understands the crop and local conditions.
After a decision, return to the same places and record what changed. Keep track of the time and money involved as well as the crop’s condition. This makes it easier to judge whether the information helped and to explain the season’s history when seeking advice later.
Choose technology around the decision
Digital tools can add measurements, image records or location information to this routine. FAO’s 2022 study of 22 precision-agriculture case studies found that cost, skills, connectivity and electricity can affect adoption. Those findings make the complete cost of using a tool more meaningful than its purchase price alone. FAO.
For a smallholder or farmer group, compare charging needs, maintenance, training, recurring fees and access to support. Ask which decision becomes easier and who will interpret the information. Shared access through a cooperative or adviser is an option to assess where individual ownership does not fit the farm’s budget or routine.
Keep the farmer and the outcome in focus
Precision agriculture is most useful when an observation leads to a practical, informed response. More measurements do not automatically mean a better harvest. Weather, seed, soil, labour and access to appropriate advice still influence the result. An apparent improvement in one plot or season should not be treated as a guaranteed outcome elsewhere.
Farmer groups and extension officers can help decide which records are useful and which add unnecessary work. FAO’s smart-farming approach places small-scale farmers’ livelihoods at the centre of technology use. That is a useful principle for Ghana: choose tools around the people making decisions and the resources available to them. FAO.
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Primary sources for the research and context referenced in this guide.
- Automation and digitalization for precision agriculture: evidence from the case studies FAO · 2022
- About FAO’s Smart Farming approach FAO · Accessed 12 September 2026