A review of technological barriers to climate-smart agriculture implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa: prospects for smallholder farmers

Abstract

Transitioning to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is crucial for sub-Saharan Africa, as the region is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. CSA can help smallholder farmers adapt to changing weather patterns, increase their resilience to climate shocks, and improve their productivity and income. Additionally, CSA practices can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to global efforts to mitigate climate change. However, sub-Saharan Africa’s adoption of CSA remains low, especially at the farm level. Technological barriers are one of the biggest challenges that contribute to the region’s low adoption rate. These technological barriers include limited access to weather information, inadequate irrigation systems, and insufficient use of precision agriculture techniques. There is also a lack of affordable and appropriate technologies tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers. Smallholder farmers tend to have limited knowledge and skills in using the technologies and limited financial resources to invest in them. This review article provides an understanding of these factors, so that policymakers and stakeholders can develop strategies to overcome these barriers and promote the adoption of CSA technologies among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.