ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES IN SMART AGRICULTURE: RECENT ADVANCES, APPLICATIONS, CHALLENGES, AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) and remote sensing technologies have emerged as a transformative tools for addressing the growing challenges of global food security, climate change, resource scarcity, and sustainable agricultural production. The integration of machine learning, deep learning, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), satellite remote sensing, and advanced sensor networks has significantly improved the efficiency, accuracy, and automation of agricultural management through data-driven decision-making. This review critically examine recent advances in AI-enabled remote sensing technologies and their applications in smart agriculture, including crop monitoring, yield prediction, disease and pest detection, precision irrigation, nutrient management, weed identification, and climate risk assessment. The review further evaluated the integration of AI algorithms with multisource remote sensing data for precision agriculture and highlights emerging technologies such as explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), edge AI, digital twins, federated learning, and autonomous agricultural systems. In addition, the paper discussed major technical, economic, and institutional barriers limiting large-scale adoption, particularly in developing countries, including inadequate digital infrastructure, high implementation costs, limited technical expertise, poor data interoperability, and concerns regarding data governance and privacy. Finally, the review identifies current research gaps and proposes future research directions to enhance the accessibility, scalability, and sustainability of AI-driven smart agriculture. The findings demonstrated that, although AI and remote sensing technologies are reshaping modern agricultural systems, their successful implementation will require interdisciplinary collaboration, supportive policies, affordable technological innovations, and improved capacity building to ensure sustainable and climate-resilient food production worldwide.