RAS question
Which of the following best describes 'Precision Agriculture'?
Correct answer: (C) Using technology (GPS, sensors, drones, AI) for site-specific crop management.
Precision agriculture is site-specific crop management that uses technologies such as GPS, sensors, drones and AI to apply the right inputs at the right place and time.
Explanation
Precision agriculture is not a separate crop type or a return to traditional practice; it is a technology-led method of managing variation within a field. It uses GPS, remote sensing, drones, IoT sensors and AI to optimise field-level management. The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture describes precision agriculture as site-specific crop management using global positioning, location-specific measurements, remote sensing and variable-rate treatment decisions. That is why option C is the best description: the core idea is site-specific crop management, where field data guides how much input is applied, and where and when it is applied, for better efficiency.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Organic farming is too narrow because precision agriculture can use technology to optimise both organic and conventional inputs.
- (B) Controlled-environment farming is a different idea, while precision agriculture is about site-specific crop management rather than growing crops only under controlled conditions.
- (D) Traditional farming methods miss the defining feature of precision agriculture: modern tools such as GPS, remote sensing, sensors, drones and AI guiding field-level decisions.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology syllabus concept of technology-enabled agriculture. It recurs in RAS because candidates must distinguish precision, data-based field management from organic, controlled-environment and traditional farming.