Farm Automation Still Needs Someone Who Knows the Orchard

There's a lot of talk about automation in agriculture and whether robots and artificial intelligence will eventually replace farmworkers. But some new research from UC Davis suggests the relationship between people and technology is a little more complicated.

Researchers spent three years studying 16 fruit-growing operations in California and Washington. And a couple of examples from the study help tell that story.

In one orchard, cameras were used to count fruit and estimate yields. But a farm manager, using his knowledge of the orchard and recent weather, adjusted the estimate downward by 14 percent. His prediction turned out to be more accurate.

But researchers also found examples of automation working well.

At one California operation, a gradual transition to mechanical harvesting platforms helped address labor shortages while moving experienced employees into jobs paying 15 to 25 percent more.

And that's really the takeaway. Technology can improve efficiency and change the work being done, but there's still a lot of value in the experience of the people doing it.

Researchers say replacing a task doesn't necessarily mean replacing a job.