Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science 5(3): 397-405 (2020) https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2020.0503023 This content is available online at AESA Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science Journal homepage: journals.aesacademy.org/index.php/aaes e-ISSN: 2456-6632 ARTICLE HISTORY ABSTRACT Received: 08 June 2020 Revised received: 27 August 2020 Accepted: 08 September 2020 Precision agriculture is a management system based on information and technology which analyses the spatial and temporal variability within the field and addresses them systematical- ly for optimizing productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability. It is an emerging concept of agriculture that implies a precise application of inputs at the right place, at the right time, and in the right amount to minimize the production cost, to boost profitability and reduce risks. The three main elements of precision agriculture are data and information, technology, and decision support systems. This system of management is known as ‘Site-specific management’ which makes use of technologies like global positioning system, global information system, remote sensors, yield monitors, guidance technology, variable-rate technology, hardware, and software. Agriculture is the mainstay of Nepal but still is not profi- cient enough to appease the daily consumption needs. The ongoing system of farming practic- es in Nepal is deemed insufficient to explore the available resources in its optimum potential. Many cultivable lands in the country are still a virgin, and many indigenous crop varieties have remained unexplored in their wilderness that is rich in biodiversity. These possibilities embark great room for increasing agricultural productivity through the precision farming system if adopted the technology on a large scale within the country. The national economy can be flustered and the environment can also be conserved using precision agriculture. It can address all agricultural and environmental issues. It is a technically sophisticated system and requires great technical knowledge for successful adoption and implementation. This study examines the history, global scenario, scope of precision agriculture, and its importance, opportunities, threats, and challenges in Nepal. ©2020 Agriculture and Environmental Science Academy Keywords Precision agriculture Profitability Remote sensors Sustainability Variable-rate technology Citation of this article: Shrestha, M. and Khanal, S. (2020). Future prospects of precision agriculture in Nepal. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 5(3): 397-405, https://dx.doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2020.0503023 Future prospects of precision agriculture in Nepal Mamata Shrestha * and Saugat Khanal Agriculture and Forestry University, Bharatpur - 44200, Chitwan, NEPAL * Corresponding author’s E-mail: shrestha.mamata560329@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Nepal is predominantly an agrarian country that embroils 65.6 percent of denizens (Central Bureau of Statistics CBS, 2011) in farming and agriculture solely contributes 25.29% to the nation- al GDP (Plecher, 2020). The farm sector contribution to the national GDP was 33 percent in the fiscal year 2014-15 and has been declining since then. This fall in the national GDP contribu- tion is mainly accounted for a decline in cultivable land area and the labor force it demands, with these resources being diverted massively towards trade, tourism, health, and education sector. The horizontal expansion of land is limited to 0.14 hectares per capita due to urbanization and population growth. The tradi- tional, subsistence farming system in Nepal is barely sufficient to fulfill the burgeoning domestic consumption needs. The rapid population growth, and the ongoing climate change crisis have further aggravated the problem of food deficit in the country. For the last two decades, the average annual growth rate of agriculture in Nepal has remained 3.2 percent without any sign of positive change. However, crop production and productivity have increased by 6.2 percent and 7.1 percent respectively in the last fiscal year which is still unsatisfactory (The Kathmandu Post, 2019). Despite boasting as an agrarian country, Nepal ranks 73rd out of 117 qualifying countries in the 2019 Global REVIEW ARTICLE