Attitudes of Algerian agricultural engineers towards the challenges facing precision agriculture adoption in Algeria

In order to increase agricultural production, profitability and environmental sustainability, precision agriculture integrates geolocation technologies, agronomic knowledge, information technologies and variable rate application technologies to adapt agricultural work intra-plot differences. The adoption of precision agriculture in Algeria has the potential to increase crop yield and profitability, reduce environmental impacts, and modernize agricultural production systems. In this study the attitude of 322 Algerian agricultural engineers towards the challenges that can hinder the adoption of precision agriculture in Algeria was measured as well as their perception on the importance of the state subsidy to overcome these challenges. The results of this study revealed that the 3 main challenges that hinder the adoption of precision agriculture in Algeria are linked to the high cost of the technologies used, the limited number of skilled labor and the unavailability of several technologies in the Algerian market. In addition, according to Algerian agricultural engineers, the state subsidy will help overcome these challenges and promote the adoption of precision agriculture in Algeria.