Digital climate-smart agriculture for climate change mitigation and cobenefits in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review Protocol

Gardezi, M., Yu, X., Carcamo, P., Kumari, S. and Mahal, K. 2025. Digital climate-smart agriculture for climate change mitigation and co-benefits in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review Protocol. CGIAR Climate related Systematic Review Series. Montpellier, France: CGIAR. pp: 12.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been widely promoted as a strategy to enhance agricultural productivity, strengthen climate resilience, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Digital agriculture technologies, including precision advisory tools, remote sensing, and AI-driven decision support systems, are increasingly integrated into CSA to improve efficiency and sustainability. These technologies have demonstrated potential benefits, such as optimizing fertilizer application and reducing input waste, particularly in large-scale farming systems in Europe and North America. However, their effectiveness in smallholder-dominated agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia remains underexplored. A key challenge in CSA driven mitigation is ensuring that emission reductions do not undermine smallholder livelihoods or food security. Despite the emphasis on digital CSA, gaps remain in understanding its role in mitigating emissions while delivering co-benefits. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on how digital CSA influences the adoption of mitigation practices and co-benefits in smallholder farming systems. By incorporating a diverse range of study designs, this review aims to capture the full spectrum of digital agriculture’s role in climate mitigation and its broader implications at the farm or field-scale in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This systematic review aims to synthesize a broad collection of evidence that was previously gathered through a systematic mapping exercise.