1、Agriculture PracticeTrends driving automation on the farmEconomic pressures and the push toward more-sustainable practices are driving next-generation automation technologies,benefiting farmers,regulators,and consumers alike.May 2023by Rob Bland,Vasanth Ganesan,Evania Hong,and Julia Kalanik bymuratd

2、enizGetty ImagesTrends driving automation on the farmThe agriculture industry is under pressure.Dramatic cost increases for inputs and labor are putting farmers profitability at risk.Globally,farmers report that prices for inputs such as fertilizer and crop protection chemicals have risen by 80 to 2

3、50 percent over the past few years.1 Climate change is also squeezing profits.A warmer climate is resulting in increased weather variability,more frequent acute weather events,longer droughts,and new invasive crops and pests,all of which reduce yields.In the American Southwest,for example,an ongoing

4、 megadrought is so severe that the past two decades have been the regions driest in at least 1,200 years.2To navigate these challenges and remain economically viable,farmers must find innovative solutions.Automation shows considerable promise for reducing the impact of farming on climate change and

5、helping growers adapt to its financial impact.Autonomous farming solutions exist on a spectrum,requiring varied levels of operator support.This ranges from semi-automated technology widely adopted today(e.g.,assisted steering)to fully automated systems(e.g.,weeding robots).Next-generation technologi

6、es use a combination of sensors,analytics,robotics,and equipment to help farmers make smarter decisions on the field and do more with less.In addition,recent developments in generative AI present future opportunities to automate decision making using vast data sets that already exist.Potential examp