In the meantime, it is imperative that human and animal powered mechanization is made as efficient and attractive as possible to eliminate some of the drudgery associated with it. Substantial investment in research and development by governments, industry and international agencies is required to achieve this goal. For example, it has been proposed that state-of-the-art precision farming technologies could be integrated with animal powered mechanization to enhance land productivity through precise application of crop nutrients and environmentally sensitive tillage systems.
Another interesting development pioneered in France is the robotic approach to harvesting tree fruit like apples and oranges where the mature fruit is selected by machine vision using light reflectance, picked mechanically by the robot and conveyed pneumatically (under vacuum) to a storage pallet. Whether these exciting but expensive technologies can be successfully commercialized remains to be seen. Gantry mechanization (including harvesting) of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses has also been investigated but cost remains a difficult factor to overcome.

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In the meantime, it is imperative that human and animal powered mechanization is made as efficient and attractive as possible to eliminate some of the drudgery associated with it. Substantial investment in research and development by governments, industry and international agencies is required to achieve this goal. For example, it has been proposed that state-of-the-art precision farming technologies could be integrated with animal powered mechanization to enhance land productivity through precise application of crop nutrients and environmentally sensitive tillage systems.
Another interesting development pioneered in France is the robotic approach to harvesting tree fruit like apples and oranges where the mature fruit is selected by machine vision using light reflectance, picked mechanically by the robot and conveyed pneumatically (under vacuum) to a storage pallet. Whether these exciting but expensive technologies can be successfully commercialized remains to be seen. Gantry mechanization (including harvesting) of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses has also been investigated but cost remains a difficult factor to overcome.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

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