Despite advancements in agtech, robots remain rare on farms as growers weigh costs, ROI and reliability.
By Brian Lynch
We know growers face significant challenges with the cost and availability of skilled labour. We’ve seen amazing technological advancements in computer vision, AI and robotics, coupled with ever-increasing capabilities and continuously decreasing component costs. The agtech ecosystem is adding new members offering all kinds of new technologies at an impressive rate.
What we don’t yet see are robots everywhere on farms, in orchards and in greenhouses. Mechanization has established a secure position in agriculture and industrial-style automation has a good presence in the pre-planting and post-harvesting space. So why don’t we see more robots?
There are technological challenges when it comes to replacing or augmenting human labour. And a few companies have solutions that seem suitable for performing many tasks. So, where are the robots?
In 2023, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario interviewed 26 stakeholders in the horticultural automation industry to better understand their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities. We learned that the two main reasons growers hesitate to adopt automation are ROI (return on investment) and trust.
ROI drives virtually all decision-making when it comes to technology adoption (with quality, convenience, environmental impact and other minor concerns sprinkled in.) ROI is a balance between cost and performance — your technology needs to do the job well at a reasonable price. Most growers view agtech equipment as a capital investment, which makes ongoing subscription payments a challenging proposition—though not entirely off the table. Technology has to be user-friendly, not subject to unending updates, and easily serviceable.
Trust is another major factor: trust that the technology does what it’s supposed to; trust that it won’t cause catastrophic harm to the crop; and trust that it’s not just another empty promise.
Don’t depend on a plethora of added-value features. Make your technology do one job really well and its ROI clearly defined accordingly. If it has added value then it should be exactly that, a bonus. Growers are pragmatic, they care more about function than form.
So where are the robots? Apart from some promising pilot projects, they’re in the same place they’ve been for some time — just around the corner.
If you’re developing new technology, reach out to see how we can help boost your performance and validate your product. If you’re a grower or distributor looking to filter out the noise, then reach out to see how we can help foster adoption to get the technology in your hands. Vineland is ready and able to help launch more technology into the market and ensure there’s a solid impact for the industry.
Brian Lynch is director of Horticultural Technology Solutions at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.