Smart Farming Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture—2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Smart farming (SF) involves a variety of technologies, such as mapping and recording technologies (satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle imagery, multiple types of sensors, and Internet of Things-connected weather stations), farm management information systems or decision support systems, and technologies such as variable rate applications and agricultural robots. SF has been suggested as a promising driver for achieving higher sustainability performance without compromising the environment or human health. SF technologies may potentially lead to more efficient use of inputs (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, labor), to the reduction in production costs, to the minimization of the environmental footprint, and to improved product quality. In the light of climate breakdown and the need for adaptation and mitigation policies, the adoption of SF technologies is now more than ever an imperative. However, the adoption rate, especially by small- and medium-sized farms, is still low or fragmented, and the tools provided by SF have not yet moved into mainstream farm management. This low uptake is due to various factors, including the low perceived usefulness. There is a need to provide evidence of the actual impacts of SF technologies for agricultural sustainability and to persuade farmers of the actual benefits of SF. The objective of this Special Issue is to identify the (positive or negative) impacts of SF technologies on the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of farming systems, including agri-food value chains, and, thereby, enable informed choices by farmers. We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting original research articles, reviews, and case studies that provide scientific evidence of the actual impacts of SF technologies on the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of farms. Contributions related to the development of traceability systems based on recorded data from SF technologies are also welcome insofar as they highlight the impacts on sustainability. We look forward to receiving your contributions on the broad topic of this Special Issue in order to foster discussions within this important emerging field.

Dr. Andreas Stylianou
Dr. George Adamides
Dr. Damianos Neocleous
Prof. Dr. Christopher Brewster
Guest Editors

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• smart farming technologies
• precision agriculture
• digitalization
• sensors
• internet of things
• decision support systems
• indicators
• sustainable agriculture and agri-food value chains
• sustainability assessment
• sustainability impacts

• Smart Farming Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture in Agronomy (4 articles)