The beleaguered sector will need to automate heavily to secure its long term future. In light of uncertainty and high energy prices, its ability to achieve this is in doubt.
Availability and cost of energy is clearly a challenge for agriculture, but the nature of that challenge may vary depending on which type of agriculture. Vertical farming is more energy intensive than growing vegetables outdoors and so energy price matters for that technology regardless of the level of automation. But for arable farming, autonomous equipment does not necessarily require more energy than human operated conventional equipment and if may even be more efficient in some cases. For arable farming the bigger problem is likely to be the form of energy available. Conventional farm mechanization is designed assuming a relatively low cost source of mobile power such as diesel fuel or gasoline, but renewable energy more often is electrical. With current technology the energy density of batteries is much less than fossil fuel. In countries with large scale farming (e.g. USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil) hydrogen is a possibility, but for the UK the most likely solution is to redesign cropping practices to reduce draft power for tillage and mechanical power for on-the-go threshing in combines so that renewable electricity from wind, solar and hydro can be used. That electrical farm equipment is likely to be in the form of relatively small autonomous machines. That redesign is technically possible. Most of the component technology already exists. But the entrepreneurship and investment required to bring to market an all electric farm mechanization system could only be justified in the UK with an international market in mind.
Availability and cost of energy is clearly a challenge for agriculture, but the nature of that challenge may vary depending on which type of agriculture. Vertical farming is more energy intensive than growing vegetables outdoors and so energy price matters for that technology regardless of the level of automation. But for arable farming, autonomous equipment does not necessarily require more energy than human operated conventional equipment and if may even be more efficient in some cases. For arable farming the bigger problem is likely to be the form of energy available. Conventional farm mechanization is designed assuming a relatively low cost source of mobile power such as diesel fuel or gasoline, but renewable energy more often is electrical. With current technology the energy density of batteries is much less than fossil fuel. In countries with large scale farming (e.g. USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil) hydrogen is a possibility, but for the UK the most likely solution is to redesign cropping practices to reduce draft power for tillage and mechanical power for on-the-go threshing in combines so that renewable electricity from wind, solar and hydro can be used. That electrical farm equipment is likely to be in the form of relatively small autonomous machines. That redesign is technically possible. Most of the component technology already exists. But the entrepreneurship and investment required to bring to market an all electric farm mechanization system could only be justified in the UK with an international market in mind.