PROSPECTS OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE FOR EFFECTIVE COCOA PRODUCTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (A GLOBAL REVIEW)

Abstract

Precision Agriculture (PA) is a new idea in agricultural production which is enhancing a stimulating concept controlling natural resources and noticing modern ecological farming-based data processing. It is bringing agriculture into the technological and computer age. It comprises innovations such as Geographic Information System (GIS), Satellite Remote Sensing and Global Positioning System (GPS). For instance, with the current establishment of the NigeriaSat- 1, an earth remote sensing satellite for the meteorological, mineral deposit, danger observation and administration motives, Nigeria now connects the association of countries that have approach to the chances provided by Satellite Remote Sensing in transforming their agriculture. This paper aims to describe precision agriculture, emphasizes its characteristics and explains how cocoa farmers can utilize them for commercial production. Past reviews revealed that the extent of operation of precision agriculture for effective cocoa production in developing countries is low which has led to the necessity to train cocoa farmers on the benefits to be derived in using precision agriculture. This paper concludes that the introduction of precision farming into the agricultural sector of developing countries will be of immense benefits in making efficient use of equipment for cocoa production and reducing the risks involved in farm management which will result to more cocoa yield and cocoa farmers will have more profit returns. This paper recommends the need to educate and encourage cocoa farmers on the use of labour relieving technologies such as mechanization to reduce excessive spending on labour and to improve the quality and quantity of cocoa products.