Shaping the Deep Tech Revolution in Agriculture 2025

Framework for selecting seven domains for detailed examination FIGURE 18 Shifting workfor ce dynamics resulting in lower human capital for agricultur e— Precision automation — Task-specific mechanization — Drone-enabled farm operations — Task-specific swarm robotics — Digital advisory and extension — Agentic AI systems Conducted expert consultations to short-list breakthr ough domainsCombined complementary tech domains that ar e deployed together (such as robotics and dr ones, edge computing and IoT) Eliminated domains that already have widespr ead adoption (such as conventional mechanization, cloud computing or machine lear ning) Eliminated technologies that do not secur e farm-level livelihoods such as synthetic biology/cellular agricultur eClimate change and intensifying weather extremes Natural r esour ce degradation (soil and water) Rising food demand and demand–supply mismatch Geopolitical instability and frictionGenerative AI1 Computer vision2 Edge IoT3 Satellite-enabled remote sensing4 Robotics (including dr ones)5 CRISPR6 Nanotechnology7Decentralized cold storage units Drones Digital commer ce Conventional processing infrastructur e Edge computing Cloud computing Cellular agricultur e Computer vision CRISPR Satellite- enabled r emote sensing NanotechnologyInternet of things Carbon- capturing microbes Conventional mechanization Blockchain Renewable energy systems Natural language processing Machine learning Contr olled release fertilizers Robotics Gen AI— Climate-r esilient input varieties — Hyperlocal advisory via chatbots — Agro-ecological planning — Earth observation — Contr olled envir onment cultivation — Precision agricultur e — Climate simulations and digital twins — Parametric insurance — Water accounting and management — Renewable energy systems — Climate-smart inputs — Alternate livestock feed — Carbon MR V systems — Soil testing — Contr olled envir onment cultivation — Hydr oponics — Precision agricultur e — Laboratory-cultivated food — High-pr oductivity varieties — Post-harvest pr ocessing — Macr o crop-planning tools — Pest pr ediction and early- warning systems — AI-enabled quality assaying — Digital traceability — Supply chain risk intelligence — Market intelligence platforms — Digital traceabilityShortlisted seven promising technology domainsCombined and filter ed these domainsIdentified 21 underlying technology domains enabling these applicationsIdentified applications for addr essing these challengesIdentified five futur e challenges Source: World Economic Forum analysis Shaping the Deep-Tech Revolution in Agriculture 39