Better targeting of fertilizer application can result in yields that meet or exceed those achieved without improved targeting while reducing total fertilizer use. However, in many growing regions, it may be difficult for farmers to access the necessary data to inform improved fertilizer use. The GreenSeeker Handheld is a low-cost technology that can be used to improve the efficiency of fertilizer applications by providing farmers with recommendations for the amount of nitrogen (N) to apply mid-season to meet the needs of their crops. The technology has been utilized on nearly 2,000 farmer fields representing more than 60,000 hectares in three regions of Mexico. In this study, the net effects of this technology on economic and environmental outcomes for these farmers were assessed. Specifically, farmer field-level data and locally derived greenhouse gas emission factors were analyzed and use of the GreenSeeker Handheld was estimated to have led to a total of $2.6 M USD in additional profits and more than 14,300 tons CO₂e of avoided emissions. However, not all farmers utilizing this technology followed the resulting recommendations. Participating farmers that did not follow the recommendations experienced lower profits, indicating that benefits would have been larger had participants applied fertilizer at the levels recommended for their fields. In addition, the total benefits of higher farm profits and reduced emissions could be scaled up significantly if this technology were applied more broadly. However, development and implementation of the technology had been supported by subsidies and further efforts would be needed to make it sustainable.

更好的施肥目标可以使产量达到或超过没有改进目标的产量，同时减少肥料的总使用量。然而，在许多种植区，农民可能难以获得必要的数据来告知改进的肥料使用情况。GreenSeeker 手持设备是一种低成本技术，可用于提高施肥效率，为农民提供在季节中期施用的氮 (N) 量建议，以满足作物的需求。该技术已在墨西哥三个地区的近 2,000 个农田中使用，面积超过 60,000 公顷。在这项研究中，评估了这项技术对这些农民的经济和环境结果的净影响。具体来说，₂ e 避免排放。然而，并非所有使用这项技术的农民都遵循了由此产生的建议。未遵循建议的参与农民的利润较低，这表明如果参与者按照为他们的田地推荐的水平施肥，收益会更大。此外，如果这项技术得到更广泛的应用，更高的农场利润和减少排放的总收益可以显着扩大。然而，该技术的开发和实施得到了补贴的支持，需要进一步努力使其具有可持续性。