A Systematic Review on Internet of Things (IoT) Adoption in Agriculture: Applications, Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

With the rapid progression of digital technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) emerged as a transformative agent in various sectors. As the backbone of many economies, agriculture stands to gain significantly from this digital revolution. Despite the potential advantages, the adoption of IoT in agriculture presents a set of challenges. Thus, conducting a study that investigates both the benefits and challenges of integrating IoT into agricultural processes becomes imperative. This paper applied the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach to find the articles based on keywords such as "IoT, application, benefits, challenges and agriculture." Based on advanced searching techniques on SCOPUS and WoS, the authors found (n=20). Next, three themes were developed based on a deductive method, which were (1) application, (2) benefits, and (3) challenges. The findings highlighted the application of IoT in agriculture for precision farming, soil and crop monitoring, smart irrigation, equipment monitoring, greenhouse automation, supply chain and logistic monitoring. In addition, the benefits of IoT adoption in agriculture are also emphasised, which include accessibility and accuracy, enhanced decision-making, improved operations, competitive advantage, connected business network and customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, the key challenges in IoT adoption include security and privacy, compatibility, complexity, top management support, organisational readiness, cost, competitive pressure, environment uncertainty and outside support. Overall, integrating IoT in agriculture is important for addressing food security and optimising farm operations. However, to ensure comprehensive adoption and maximum efficacy, it is essential to recognise and address the existing challenges. Decision-makers and developers can prioritise this information to improve their activities to enhance IoT adoption.