FEATURE Artificial intelligence


THE RISE OF THE ROBOCROP


Who or what is driving your cab?


Vast fields, monitored by drones and sensors, with all planting, crop management and harvesting carried out by robotic tractors controlled by AI and a few workers sat behind screens miles from the farm.


This all sounds like the plot of some rural science fiction story, but it is fast becoming a reality, and one that farmworkers need to be aware of.


Robotic systems using artificial intelligence (AI) have been trialled in fruit farms for years, and now the tech is moving out of the glasshouse and onto the fields.


Researchers have already developed AI systems to help reduce emissions associated with livestock farming and land use and help farmers tackle disease.


AI is being developed to improve so-called “precision farming” where machine learning algorithms and data analytics are used to give farmers and farmworkers more information to help crop management decision making around planting, irrigation, fertilisation, and harvesting.


Data collected from field-based sensors can monitor soil moisture,


32 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2025


temperature, and nutrient levels, helping AI systems recommend actions for the best results. This can cut down on waste while improving crop yields.


Once the best crop management plans are settled on, robot tractors can head into the fields to carry out the required work, monitored by an array of cameras and IT systems, with drones flying overhead to map the results.


Companies are developing ways to introduce AI into the cab. Dutch business Farmatronic claims that the


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