According to the Market Statsville Group (MSG), the Global Agriculture Drones and Robots Market Size is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 24.3% during the forecast period, to reach USD 64.50 Billion by 2030 from USD 13.59 Billion in 2022.
Bringing efficiency to agriculture is the major aim of farmers worldwide, and automation is the key driver for efficient farming. Automation technologies include agriculture drones, robots, and autonomous tractors that can be used for harvesting, land preparation, crop management, and other farming operations. There is a misconception that automation in the agriculture sector replaces farmers and encourages rural to urban migration. However, the technology improves the well-being of farmers while increasing efficient work opportunities. For instance, weeding and land preparation require less effort and time by using robots and drones, giving farmers more time for extra activities and reducing drudgery.
Moreover, information and communications technology (ICT) and digitalization offer women and youth multiple job opportunities. Several regions are taking initiatives to support youth in the agriculture sector. For instance, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) in Africa has been supporting youth in agriculture through initiatives such as Pitch AgriHack, where the government focuses on introducing new technologies such as drones to enhance agricultural transformation in the region. Agriculture robots and drones can help transform the agriculture sector by introducing more precise agriculture techniques that can bring efficiency to farming operations. Agriculture robots can also help bridge social sustainability by substituting arduous labor when there is limited availability of manual labor.
Global Agriculture Drones and Robots Market Definition
Agriculture across the globe is evolving with the adoption of advanced technologies such as automation, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. These technologies play a major role in pest control, crop protection, weeding, and other farming applications. Conventional farming methods, which are majorly led by engine power and tractors, are projected to be surpassed by automated equipment due to precision in farming operations. Several trends in the global agriculture industry mark the way for automation in the industry. Conservation agriculture is one such trend that aims to reduce environmental damage through farming operations. It involves minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, crop diversification, etc. However, it requires special equipment or automated equipment for drilling crop seeds into the soil at the right density and depth.
Agriculture automation is more prevalent in developed countries due to advanced technologies and equipment availability. However, digital innovation in agriculture technology can be more attractive to developing countries as it can create more opportunities for rural farming areas. With the development of rural infrastructure, supply chains, services, and training, new and more attractive jobs can be created to benefit those rural areas that were left behind where agriculture depended on rudimentary hand tools.
The agriculture industry worldwide has been witnessing a drastic change as it is moving toward adopting automated agricultural equipment. The rising population and shifting trade policies majorly impact the supply chain, prices, and food delivery. Furthermore, consumer preferences in western countries are inclined toward sustainable and organic food products requiring more labor and attention. The evolving customer taste and preferences must be met by the agriculture industry, which is facing the challenges of labor shortages. Many farmers are facing issues in planting more high-quality crops due to a labor shortage for harvesting and maintaining these crops. Hence, to overcome these issues, farmers across the globe are adopting automated farming equipment such as drones and robots to reduce dependence on labor and increase farming efficiency.
As the need for automation in agriculture has grown, several countries are implementing automation into farming activities. For instance, since 2019, the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) of Japan has monitored and supported 124 smart agriculture demonstration projects across Japan, featuring the usage of the latest state-of-the-art smart farming technology and solutions on a practical basis. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) has also promoted the deregulation of agriculture drones. Such initiatives have led to an increase in the adoption of drones in the agriculture industry.
Indoor farming is a process of growing vegetables, plants, or crops on a large scale indoors. The technology makes use of drones to monitor crops on indoor farms as well as to create an artificial environment for the growth of crops. Indoor farming technology is highly emerging due to its benefits compared to conventional farming methods. For instance, crops from indoor farming can be grown in three dimensions rather than two and can be grown whole year round, independent of external weather conditions. In addition, the potential of indoor farming methods to slow down climate change by being more sustainable, using less water, and producing fewer emissions are the factors that are projected to drive the growth of indoor farming activities.
Indoor farming is a modern agriculture technology adopted mostly in developed countries. The U.S. has witnessed significant investments in indoor farming technology, such as a $100 million investment made in Morehead, Kentucky, for building a greenhouse for the tomato and cucumber project in 2002. Such investments are projected to increase the growth of indoor farming technology in the country. Europe has also witnessed significant investments in the indoor farming vertical, with multiple companies investing in the technology.
Vertical farming has also witnessed a high adoption rate in many countries such as Japan, China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, and the U.S. Japan has experienced significant growth in adopting vertical farming owing to increasing investment by companies in vertical farming in Japan. For instance, Spread, one of Japan's largest vertical farming companies, announced in January 2019 to build an automated vertical farm in the country. As drones are used in several indoor-farm applications, the potential for deploying drones and robots in indoor farming is high in the coming years.
This research report categorizes agriculture drones and robots market as a market-based robot application, services, orbits, verticals, and regions. Based on a geographical standpoint, the market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa (MEA).
By Robot Type (Sales, USD Million, 2017-2030)
By Robot Application Type (Sales, USD Million, 2017-2030)
Dairy farm management is one of the major applications of agriculture robots owing to the high adoption of milking robots in Europe and North America. Dairy farm automation is increasing globally due to farmers' rising apprehensions about animal welfare. By using agriculture robots and drones in dairy farms, farmers can easily track animals' feeding patterns and behavior, which can further help give them proper treatments in case of sickness. Furthermore, milking robots reduce manual labor and help increase farm profitability; therefore, farmers are shifting toward using robotic technology in dairy farms.
Europe Registered the Highest Market Share for Agriculture Drones and Robots
The market for agriculture drones and robots varies from region to region. Europe is the largest agriculture robot and drone market due to high technological advancement and the region's lack of manual labor. Furthermore, several government initiatives exist to promote the adoption of agricultural robots in the region, such as the Robs4Crops project introduced in June 2021 by the European Union. The project aims to increase robotic adoption in the agriculture industry of Europe. The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness a significant surge in demand for agriculture robots in the coming years due to increasing pressure on farmers to increase agriculture production to meet growing food demand in the region.
The global agriculture drones and robots market is highly competitive, with key industry players adopting new robot application development, partnerships, acquisitions, agreements, and expansion to strengthen their market positions. Most market industries focus on expanding operations across regions, augmenting their capabilities, and building strong partner relations.
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