Robotics: Is this part of the future for North Devon's Agricultural Industry? - Tim Jones

It has been a routine experience to live with the problems of our vital farming industry.

The weather is either too dry or too wet. There are also huge problems in securing labour, particularly for seasonal work. There have also been many battles regarding farm gate prices. Supermarkets are accused of profiteering at the expense of producers.

Politicians routinely criticise the agricultural industry for the current problems regarding food price inflation. There are undoubtedly some eyewatering problems with food products increasing in value at around a peak of 19%. This figure has started to reduce but to no where near the level required by the Bank of England, which sets its inflation rate at 2%.

There are undoubtedly many problems to overcome with all of these issues. This particularly applies to the availability of agricultural workers generally.

A recent example in Northern Devon is of a large milk producer who has now invested in 60 robotic milking machines because he could not recruit staff. So is there any solution in sight, particularly as the farming industry is being weened off basic farm payments which are to be replaced by payments for a range of environmental improvements.

It is clear that many small farmers only make a profit because of the old funding regime. It is therefore not surprising that many farmers are now unable to encourage their families to take up the business, many are selling up and many are unable to invest in new products and machinery.

All this comes at a time when there are many purchasers looking to buy up agricultural land. The vast majority of these are motivated by the generous support available from Government to plant trees. This in turn helps some companies to offset their carbon footprints and move towards net zero targets.

The inevitable consequence of this is a further decline in this crucial industry with a strong likelihood that the UK will not be self sufficient in food production (currently we are running at about 57% but this figure is falling rapidly). It is estimated that for every farm this, in part, supports around 25 mainly local businesses and suppliers. The knock-on effect of further decline therefore on the local economy is all too obvious.

Many farmers have not given up and many have diversified with some brilliant farm shops, great tourist accommodation packages and the production of a wide range of food products which are sold through local markets or retailers.

This is encouraging but is it enough to reverse the decline?

There is strong evidence emerging that artificial intelligence and robots could be the answer and produce a bright new future.

Many farmers now use drones as part of their working day. These can be a huge benefit in improving productivity. This reduces lost time. It also reduces the need to drive on wetland or damage crops. It is also a great way of keeping in close contact with stock and spot early any problems arising.

An increasing number of farmers in hilly areas are adopting robotic grass and scrub cutting machines. These can be operated remotely. They are far safer than the man made alternative. They can also open up areas of land that would otherwise be unproductive. The exciting opportunities which are emerging as science produces more sophisticated equipment do hold out great prospects for the farming industry.

Food production has long been the victim of variable weather conditions. New methods of factory farming may not be universally popular but are hugely more efficient. Working within a controlled environment can dramatically improve production. It is already the case that many of our salad crops, such as tomatoes, are produced in these conditions.

Electric farm and factory robots are now available with interchangeable tools. This allows much more efficient use of delicate soils (particularly overcoming problems caused by heavy tractors compacting wet soil, which increases surface water run-off rates that in-turn can cause downstream flooding and the loss of valuable soil).

New equipment also includes soft robotic grasping technologies and sensors which can deal with soft crop production. There is added value here not only to farmers and growers but also to consumers by producing fresh products, decreasing the need for manual labour and the lowering of production crops.

Robots can also be far more precise with land management, thereby reducing the need for excessive hazardous chemicals to be used which then invariably create pollution to our water courses and rivers. This greater efficiency can also help to preserve valuable fresh water resources.

The agricultural industry globally is responsible for consuming around 70% of our fresh water. This, together with climate change, will inevitably lead to water becoming a scarce resource. There are already example in Europe of “water wars”, such as conflicts between farmers and households who want to fill their swimming pool. Two of the most famous rivers in America now fail to reach the sea because of the intensity of extraction.

It is also fascinating to see how scientists have rapidly risen to these challenges. Perhaps the best example has arisen as a result of the dearth of seasonal fruit and flower pickers.

In Cornwall the flower industry is of great value (mainly daffodils). There has also been a recent breakthrough which has cracked the challenge of picking soft fruit ,such as strawberries and raspberries. One of the leading producers of the latest machinery was spun-out of the University of Plymouth. Fieldwork robotics have two Alpha Robots.

These are equipped with powerful cameras which identify the level of ripeness of each raspberry or strawberry. A robotic arm then extends to pick the fruit using a cup-shaped hand with an inflatable membrane that can mimic a careful human grasp. The productivity of these machines is three times greater than a human, meaning that a payback for the equipment can be achieved within less than two years.

If we are to be realistic, we must accept that agriculture as it stands is not fit for purpose. We need innovative technologies to alleviate the unsustainable levels of waste and improve the economics for both the farmer and consumers. Northern Devon needs to be part of this exciting revolution.

Written by Tim Jones, Chairman of the North Devon Biosphere Foundation