It is well known that UK farming has a poor productivity record. Given the phasing out of subsidies after Brexit, farmers need to find new ways to run their businesses more efficiently.
One way forward is the use of new robotic technologies, in particular for weeding. Advances in computer vision are making this possible and The Economist reviews the potential: Robots are on the rise.
One of the companies discussed is RootWave which is located close to me in Kineton in Warwickshire. Their product uses electricity to zap weeds. Clearly a small start up company they recently acquired €6.5m of funding: Financing success
There is clearly some interesting experimentation and product development going on. But what are the chances of adoption by farmers? Capital costs are always a consideration and these agribots need skilled operators who have to be trained and then paid high wages.
Agricultural innovation usually follows a bell shaped curve with some farmers willing to be early adopters. They might be encouraged by government grants towards training and capital costs. Another round of the Countryside Productivity Small Grants Scheme is expected later in the year, but last time its budget was just £15m and the maximum any one farmer could claim was £12k which may not be game changing.
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