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Abstract
Producers in industrialized countries have been inundated by ideas and information
about precision agriculture (PA) and how new site-specific management
(SSM) technologies will revolutionize their farm operations. Conjuring up
'Star Wars' imagery, farmers and their computerized machinery communicate
with satellites while speeding up and down the information highway. The farm
press has hailed the advent of these technologies as a win-win situation, with
higher farm profits and improved environmental quality. Certainly the potential
is there for greater economic returns and better environmental stewardship.
But what exactly is precision agriculture, who is applying it, and where? Is the
technology only relevant for developed countries and are there implications for
markets? What is the likelihood that environmental benefits will be realized?
This paper addresses these questions by drawing on literature, data and expert
opinion.