Table 10. Three most common categories... | Emerald Publishing

Table 10.

Three most common categories of GPS-enabled precision agriculture technologies

Application	Precision needed	Co-Technologies	Benefits: Qualitative description	Counterfactual	Technical impact metric	Economic value metric	Potential magnitude of impacts
Yield and soil mapping	10 m	GPS + combine yield monitor GPS + soil sampling data GPS + mapping software	Helps farmers more intensively manage their fields; allows farmers to make more informed planting and input application decisions, including how much and where to apply agrochemicals, plant seeds, and irrigate	Collecting yield data using sensors and without mapping or mapping using alternatives to GPS.	Changes in crop yield, input costs (e.g., seeds, fertilizer), and overhead costs (e.g., labor, capital). Environmental benefits include reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nutrient loads in waterways.	Additional net returns on adoption vs. nonadoption on area where the technology was applied. Value of ecosystem services from applying less agrochemicals.	Medium
Tractor and combine guidance system	5 cm–1 m depending on use	GPS + navigation tool (e.g., parallel swathing)	Allows farmers to more precisely apply inputs and harvest crops while reducing overlap and/or skips within a field. Also reduces machine operator error, operator time, operator fatigue, and multitasking	Manual steering of tractors and combines. Apply inputs manually based on markers such as a mechanical marker on a planter or harvester or foam marker on a sprayer.	Changes in crop yield, input costs (e.g., seeds, fertilizer), and overhead costs (e.g., labor, capital). Environmental benefits include reductions in GHG emissions and nutrient loads in waterways.	Value of additional net returns on adoption vs. nonadoption area. Value of ecosystem services from applying less agrochemicals.	Medium
Variable-rate technology	10 cm–1 m depending on use	GPS + variable-rate planter driveGPS + variablerate spreader drive GPS + variablerate applicator	Allows farmers to apply inputs (e.g., seeds, agrochemicals) at predetermined rates at different locations in a farmer’s field	Adjust inputs manually or apply at one rate throughout the field.	Changes in crop yield, input costs (e.g., seeds, fertilizer), and overhead costs (e.g., labor, capital). Environmental benefits include reductions in GHG emissions and nutrient loads in waterways.	Additional net returns on adoption vs. nonadoption on area where the technology was applied. Value of ecosystem services from applying less agrochemicals.	Medium

Application	Precision needed	Co-Technologies	Benefits: Qualitative description	Counterfactual	Technical impact metric	Economic value metric	Potential magnitude of impacts
Yield and soil mapping	10 m	GPS + combine yield monitor GPS + soil sampling data GPS + mapping software	Helps farmers more intensively manage their fields; allows farmers to make more informed planting and input application decisions, including how much and where to apply agrochemicals, plant seeds, and irrigate	Collecting yield data using sensors and without mapping or mapping using alternatives to GPS.	Changes in crop yield, input costs (e.g., seeds, fertilizer), and overhead costs (e.g., labor, capital). Environmental benefits include reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nutrient loads in waterways.	Additional net returns on adoption vs. nonadoption on area where the technology was applied. Value of ecosystem services from applying less agrochemicals.	Medium
Tractor and combine guidance system	5 cm–1 m depending on use	GPS + navigation tool (e.g., parallel swathing)	Allows farmers to more precisely apply inputs and harvest crops while reducing overlap and/or skips within a field. Also reduces machine operator error, operator time, operator fatigue, and multitasking	Manual steering of tractors and combines. Apply inputs manually based on markers such as a mechanical marker on a planter or harvester or foam marker on a sprayer.	Changes in crop yield, input costs (e.g., seeds, fertilizer), and overhead costs (e.g., labor, capital). Environmental benefits include reductions in GHG emissions and nutrient loads in waterways.	Value of additional net returns on adoption vs. nonadoption area. Value of ecosystem services from applying less agrochemicals.	Medium
Variable-rate technology	10 cm–1 m depending on use	GPS + variable-rate planter driveGPS + variablerate spreader drive GPS + variablerate applicator	Allows farmers to apply inputs (e.g., seeds, agrochemicals) at predetermined rates at different locations in a farmer’s field	Adjust inputs manually or apply at one rate throughout the field.	Changes in crop yield, input costs (e.g., seeds, fertilizer), and overhead costs (e.g., labor, capital). Environmental benefits include reductions in GHG emissions and nutrient loads in waterways.	Additional net returns on adoption vs. nonadoption on area where the technology was applied. Value of ecosystem services from applying less agrochemicals.	Medium