IoT in Agriculture for Sustainability and Efficiency: A Decade of Evidence and Future Pathways

Abstract

The agricultural sector has increasingly turned to digital innovations in an effort to address rising global food demands, climate change pressures, and the need for sustainable production systems. Among these technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a pivotal enabler of smart farming, offering tools for real-time data collection, precision monitoring, and automated decision-making. This paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of research published between 2015 and 2025 on IoT applications in agriculture. Following PRISMA guidelines, a total of 78 articles were identified, screened, and analyzed. The review organizes IoT applications into a layered taxonomy that encompasses sensing technologies, communication networks, data analytics approaches, and various application domains, including irrigation, crop management, livestock monitoring, and supply-chain traceability. The findings suggest significant improvements in productivity and resource efficiency but also highlight persistent challenges such as data interoperability, energy limitations of sensor nodes, and barriers to adoption in resource-constrained regions. By classifying the current state of research and identifying gaps, this study provides both a conceptual framework and a roadmap for future investigations in IoT-enabled smart agriculture.