Strengthening climate-smart agriculture through digital extension: A systematic review of technologies, adoption, and policy implications

Abstract

Climatic-smart agriculture (CSA) provides a strategy to boost productivity, strengthen resilience, and cut greenhouse gas emissions in the face of rising climatic variability. By giving farmers fast, location-specific, and scalable advice, digital agricultural technologies such as mobile and video advisory, remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and AI-based decision support systems have completely transformed extension services. The evidence from 13 peer-reviewed research that looked at the influence of digital technology integration with extension methods on CSA outcomes that published between the periods of 2020 to 2025 are summarized in this study. The results show that while UAV and satellite-based remote sensing improve drought monitoring, irrigation scheduling, and early crop stress detection, mobile and video-mediated alerts greatly increase the adoption of improved agronomic practices. Internet of Things (IoT) automated irrigation and forecasting improve resource efficiency and lead to abatement. Despite these advancements, adoption level still lowered by digital literacy, inadequate infrastructure, high pricing, data reliability difficulties, and unequal access. To address these challenges, inclusive design frameworks, multi-stakeholder engagement, targeted capacity building, and governmental assistance are required. According to the review, properly integrating digital technology with extension services increases CSA implementation while also empowering smallholder farmers, reducing vulnerability to climate risks, and promoting sustainable intensification. These insights can help policymakers, researchers, and practitioners scale digital CSA solutions in a variety of agricultural situations.