Roadmap / Agriculture / Farming

Precision agriculture reduces farm inputs and increases food production

Update · October 2026

2023Achieved

This milestone has arrived.

Our original analysis (2021)

Producing the world’s food involves many inputs: Water, fertilizer, pesticides, labor, and more. Today, farmers apply these inputs with a relatively hazy view of the actual status of the crops on their field or the need for additional resources. Future advances in sensors, drones, satellites, soil monitoring, and digital technology will provide real-time data on the health of crops and soils and the need for additional irrigation or fertilizer. The result will be more food grown on the same land at a lower cost and with lower environmental impact.

Image source: US Government Accountability Office

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