Does precision farming need to be high-tech?
Not at all! Low-tech approaches are just as interesting as high-tech ones. For example, a Kenyan farmer who has to decide where, when and how to apply the limited amount of manure he has on his farm is very much aware of the variability of the soil in his fields and, in most cases, will not spread the manure equally throughout the farm. In Costa Rica we have worked intensively to develop a system for banana management that is currently operational on several farms. Despite constraints limiting the use of hightech approaches, such as the farmers’ low level of schooling and the lack of machinery in the plantations, we have been able to develop methods of yield mapping which, in combination with soil surveying, have allowed for sitespecific management. What are the obstacles to the adoption of precision farming techniques in developing countries? The blueprint for high-tech precision agriculture does not fit in the local context of developing countries. As in the case of Costa Rica, impor
