This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The use of robots, drones and AI tools in agriculture is already paying off on 42% of the world's cropland. This could increase to 50% in the next 20 years and to as much as 75% if every country tightened environmental regulations.
If every country loosened its regulations, it would fall to 31%. These are the main findings from an international study led by the University of Bonn, which is the first to estimate the profitability of smart farming worldwide. High-tech agriculture often proves profitable precisely in parts of the world struggling with environmental problems such as water stress and overfertilization.
The results of the study have been published in the journal PNAS. European and U.S. farms are increasingly turning into high-tech companies: drones spot pest infestations and send their data to agricultural machinery, which then sprays pesticides in specific areas; robots remove weeds before they can cause trouble; and irrigation systems track soil moisture and water the roots only where water is needed. "These smart farming technologies have the potential to make crop farming more sustainable and environmentally friendly," explains professor David Wuepper from the University of Bonn.
However, Wuepper also knows that switching to smart-farming technologies may not make economic sense for every farm, at least in the short term, because they do not come cheap—quite apart from the expertise required to get them set up. There is also significant variation in local conditions, from labor costs and environmental regulations through to the availability of training. "So we wanted to know where precision agriculture is particularly worthwhile in economic terms," says Shahrear Roman, a doctoral student in Wuepper's research group.
The results show that smart farming already pays off on 42% of the world's cropland. The profitability of these technologies is unevenly distributed worldwide, though. The economic benefit is greatest in areas where income and education levels are high, fields are big and environmental regulations are strict, such as Western Europe, Canada, the U.S. and Australia.
One reason is that these parts of the world often apply large quantities of fertilizer and pesticides. "So money can be saved by only applying these products where you really need to," Roman says. And, because labor also costs more in these places, using machinery and robots makes good sense.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
