ICTs and Smallholders: A Systematic Review of Case Studies and their Impact on ESG Outcomes

This systematic review explores the role of Information and Communication Technology in supporting smallholders who face significant challenges from socio-economic and environmental changes. The analysis includes 2,217 studies from the Scopus database, highlighting technologies such as IoT, AI, UAVs, and blockchain. These technologies improve monitoring, prediction, and decision-making processes in agriculture. ICT helps optimize resource use, enhances product quality, and improves traceability. Applications like irrigation decision support systems and real-time data platforms demonstrate notable gains in water savings and crop productivity for smallholders. The review also discusses the importance of making digital tools accessible, addressing technology adoption gaps and promoting sustainability. Additionally, it introduces an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) framework to assess the impact, emphasizing the potential of ICT to enhance socio-economic stability and sustainability in smallholder farming. This underscores the need for technology solutions tailored to the challenges of smallholders in a rapidly evolving agricultural sector.