Strategic Automation and Crop Management for Climate-Smart and Resilient Agriculture
A special issue of AgriEngineering (ISSN 2624-7402). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensors Technology and Precision Agriculture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 11
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cropping systems; cover crops; nutrient management; sustainable agriculture; soil and water quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: crop production and management; crop ecophysiology; high-throughput plant phenotyping; remote sensing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Ensuring sustainable agricultural production in the face of increasing climate variability, resource constraints, and ecological degradation is one of the foremost challenges of our time, especially for small and mid-scale farms. Traditional cropping systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable to erratic weather, declining soil health, pest and disease pressure, and inefficiencies in input use. To build resilience in modern agriculture, we need a strategic shift from reactive practices to proactive, data-informed crop management.
This Special Issue, “Strategic Automation and Crop Management for Climate-Smart and Resilient Agriculture”, aims to advance the scientific and engineering discourse on how sensor-based automation, intelligent decision support, and innovative crop management practices can collectively foster more adaptive, efficient, and resilient agricultural systems.
We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies that explore the development, testing, and application of automation systems, sensing technologies, and modeling tools, especially in the context of diversified cropping systems such as cover cropping and intercropping. A particular focus is placed on solutions that are accessible and scalable for smallholder and resource-constrained farming operations.
The scope and areas of interest of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Sensor-driven and high throughput assessments for resource/input optimization (e.g., variable-rate fertilization, real-time diagnostics).
- Predictive modeling of crop physiological responses to environmental stress in cropping systems.
- Robotics and automation for intercultural operations in diversified cropping systems.
- AI- and IoT-powered decision support systems for climate-smart precision agriculture.
- System-level strategies integrating cover crops and intercrops to enhance soil health, suppress pests, and reduce chemical inputs.
By highlighting the intersection of agricultural engineering, plant physiology, and digital innovation, this Special Issue will provide critical insights into how advanced tools can be tailored to promote long-term resilience and sustainability. Contributions that demonstrate how automation technologies can improve agroecosystem performance while remaining economically viable for small and mid-size farms are particularly encouraged.
This Special Issue will supplement the existing literature by bridging agronomic science with technological advancements in automation and digital agriculture. It will serve as a platform to showcase interdisciplinary efforts that push beyond proof-of-concept and toward practical, scalable impact in climate-smart agriculture.
Dr. Swetabh Patel
Dr. Rahul Raman
Dr. Aline De Camargo Santos
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. AgriEngineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- climate-smart agriculture
- automation systems
- sensor-based management
- cover crops
- intercropping
- precision agriculture
- sustainability
- resilient farming systems
- conservation agriculture
- diversified farming systems
- decision support tools
- robotics in agriculture
- digital agriculture
- soil health
- smallholder technology adoption
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