Economic Impacts and Adoption Determinants of Agricultural Innovations in Tropical Smallholder Systems: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background Smart farming and related agricultural innovations have gained considerable attention as pathways for improving productivity and sustainability in tropical smallholder agriculture. Yet evidence on its economic impacts and adoption determinants remains fragmented across regions, commodities, and technologies. This review synthesizes evidence on economic outcomes, adoption factors, and the influence of local knowledge, cultural values, gender relations, customary institutions, and ecological sustainability. Methods Following PRISMA 2020, a Scopus search was conducted for articles published between 2016 and 2026. Studies were included if they addressed smallholder farmers, agricultural innovation, and reported economic impacts or adoption determinants. Large-scale agriculture studies and those lacking socio-economic context were excluded. A narrative-thematic synthesis organized the evidence into three interconnected dimensions: economic outcomes, adoption-enabling conditions, and socio-cultural and ecological embeddedness. Results Fifty-nine articles from diverse tropical contexts were included. Smart farming can enhance productivity, household consumption, income, profitability, education expenditure, food security, and livelihood resilience. Yet benefits are not uniform. Achieving these outcomes depends on credit, extension, markets, land tenure, technology, institutional support, and climate risk management. Local knowledge and cultural values shape whether innovations are accepted, adapted, or resisted. Gender relations are also associated with differences in adoption outcomes, as men and women experience unequal access to land, labor, information, income, and decision-making. Conclusions Smart farming and related agricultural innovations should be viewed as a socio-technical and socio-ecological process, not merely technological modernization. Policy must combine technology with credit, extension, market inclusion, land security, gender equity, and local knowledge. This review offers an integrative framework for understanding adoption, welfare, and policy support in tropical smallholder contexts.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. F1000Research, 2026 · DOI ↗