Advancing postharvest storage management using sensors and smart technologies: A national and global perspective

The transformation of crop yield storage management through sensor technologies is the most promising solution, addressing the critical issue of post-harvest losses that threaten global food security. The present review explains various sensor-based systems in monitoring and controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and gas emissions to maintain crop quality and prevent spoilage. This review followed the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews) guidelines to ensure transparency, rigor and reproducibility in literature identification, screening and synthesis. The review discusses sensor applications across various crop types that range wide from cereals and pulses to perishable fruits and high-value crops, emphasizing customized solutions targeting specific storage requirements. On a regional basis, disparities in technological advancement are evident, with high-tech automated systems being the predominantly concentrated in developed countries, whereas those that favor innovation with sensor solutions that are cheap and scalable, while developing countries are characterized by infrastructural constrains and a focus on affordable, scalable innovations. Pakistan’s early initiatives in sensor-based storage management illustrate how much technologies can enhance agricultural resilience in similar developing context. The initial disposition of Pakistan toward sensor-centered storage management serves as an emblem of how such technology can promote agricultural resilience in settings of comparable nature. Economic analysis indicates a favorable cost-benefit ratio for sensors deployment, hinged upon a reduction in post-harvest losses, energy efficiency in storage, and socioeconomic upliftment of smallholder farmers. Nevertheless, challenges such as high initial investment, skill gaps, sensor durability, connectivity challenges, and policy hurdles remain acute. The future is one where AI powered smart storage systems, nanotechnology-based sensors, and synergized digital ecosystems will offer precision, automation, and sustainability. This requires joint efforts between governments, the private sector, and international agencies to increase the scale of innovations and build capacity. Overall, sensors technologies are revolutionizing sustainable, technology-enabled agricultural storages systems that preserve food security, promote efficient resource use and improve livelihood worldwide.