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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Climate-Smart Food Systems
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1497577
This article is part of the Research Topic Transforming African Food Systems View all 13 articles
Digitalization of Precision Fertilization in East Africa: Adoption, Benefits and Losses
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- 2 University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
- 3 Earth Surface Science Institute, School of Earth and Environment, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, England, United Kingdom
- 4 University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
The rapid digitalization of agriculture in East Africa has encouraged the adoption of precision fertilization tools, which optimize nutrient application and improve crop yields. This systematic review assesses digital technologies' adoption, benefits, and limitations for precision fertilization across East Africa. A comprehensive search of English-language studies published between 2010 and 2024 was conducted using PRISMA guidelines, with fifteen studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The review identifies digital solutions-mobile applications, ICT tools, Variable Rate Application (VRA), and AI/ML technologies-that assist smallholder farmers in sustainable resource management. Benefits include enhanced crop productivity, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability, although challenges such as data accuracy, technology access, affordability, and digital literacy limit widespread adoption. Findings suggest a need for further research and tailored strategies to expand digital agricultural practices in the region, addressing socioeconomic and infrastructural barriers. This review provides insights to guide stakeholders in developing sustainable, data-driven agricultural frameworks to bolster food security in East Africa.
Keywords: Precision fertilization, digitalization, precision agriculture, East Africa, Variable rate application (VRA)
Received: 17 Sep 2024; Accepted: 19 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fue, Baitu, Jokonya, Banwart and Korsten. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Kadeghe Fue, Department of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
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