Browsing by Author "Gokool, Shaeden"

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    Crop mapping in smallholder farms using unmanned aerial vehicle imagery and geospatial cloud computing infrastructure
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024) Gokool, Shaeden; Sibanda, Mbulisi; Mahomed, Maqsooda
    Smallholder farms are major contributors to agricultural production, food security, and socio-economic growth in many developing countries. However, they generally lack the resources to fully maximize their potential. Subsequently they require innovative, evidence-based and lower-cost solutions to optimize their productivity. Recently, precision agricultural practices facilitated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained traction in the agricultural sector and have great potential for smallholder farm applications. Furthermore, advances in geospatial cloud computing have opened new and exciting possibilities in the remote sensing arena. In light of these recent developments, the focus of this study was to explore and demonstrate the utility of using the advanced image processing capabilities of the Google Earth Engine (GEE) geospatial cloud computing platform to process and analyse a very high spatial resolution multispectral UAV image for mapping land use land cover (LULC) within smallholder farms. The results showed that LULC could be mapped at a 0.50 m spatial resolution with an overall accuracy of 91%. Overall, we found GEE to be an extremely useful platform for conducting advanced image analysis on UAV imagery and rapid communication of results.
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    Crop monitoring in smallholder farms using unmanned aerial vehicles to facilitate precision agriculture practices: A scoping review and bibliometric analysis
    (MDPI, 2023) Gokool, Shaeden; Mahomed, Maqsooda; Sibanda, Mbulisi
    In this study, we conducted a scoping review and bibliometric analysis to evaluate the state-of-the-art regarding actual applications of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies to guide precision agriculture (PA) practices within smallholder farms. UAVs have emerged as one of the most promising tools to monitor crops and guide PA practices to improve agricultural productivity and promote the sustainable and optimal use of critical resources. However, there is a need to understand how and for what purposes these technologies are being applied within smallholder farms. Using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer, 23 peer-reviewed articles from Scopus andWeb of Science were analyzed to acquire a greater perspective on this emerging topical research focus area.
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    Exploring the potential of remote sensing to facilitate integrated weed management in smallholder farms: a scoping review
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024) Gokool, Shaeden; Sibanda, Mbulisi; Mahomed, Maqsooda
    In light of a growing population and climate change compounding existing pressures on the agri-food system, there is a growing need to diversify agri-food systems and optimize the productivity and diversity of smallholder farming systems to enhance food and nutrition security under climate change. In this context, improving weed management takes on added significance, since weeds are among the primary factors contributing to crop yield losses for smallholder farmers. Adopting remote-sensing-based approaches to facilitate precision agricultural applications such as integrated weed management (IWM) has emerged as a potentially more effective alternative to conventional weed control approaches. However, given their unique socio-economic circumstances, there remains limited knowledge and understanding of how these technological advancements can be best utilized within smallholder farm settings. As such, this study used a systematic scoping review and attribute analysis to analyse 53 peer-reviewed articles from Scopus to gain further insight into remote-sensing-based IWM approaches and identify which are potentially best suited for smallholder farm applications