Economic Aspects of Precision Crop Production: A Systematic Literature Review

Precision agriculture has become a major direction of agricultural technological development in recent decades, addressing efficiency, environmental, and economic challenges simultaneously. Input optimization based on site-specific data collection—particularly variable-rate nutrient application, precision irrigation systems, and targeted crop protection—has been shown to generate measurable cost and resource savings. The aim of the study is to explore and systematically evaluate the economic impacts influencing precision technology in crop production. Although the technical and environmental benefits of precision technologies are widely documented, their economic performance and farm-level profitability remain inconsistently interpreted. The study is based on a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed English-language journal articles retrieved from the Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and JSTOR databases. Study selection and evaluation were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 methodological framework. The literature indicates that precision technologies achieve average input savings of 8–20% and yield increases of 2–6%, while reported return on investment (ROI) values typically range between 5% and 15%. Economic viability is strongly dependent on farm size, with most studies identifying profitability above 100–200 ha. Additional benefits include improved management of soil heterogeneity, enhanced nutrient-use efficiency, and reduced excess input application, although adoption remains constrained by high investment costs and technological complexity.