As the world population continues to grow, so does the demand for food. For centuries, agriculture has been a labor-intensive industry, and many farming practices still require a considerable amount of manual labor. But as the global agricultural workforce is aging and the number of people entering the sector is decreasing, labor shortages are becoming the norm in agriculture each year. To overcome this challenge, the agricultural industry is investing in automation to reduce labor costs and increase productivity.

Apples are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world, with a global production of over 86 million tons in 2020. However, the process of harvesting, storing, and distributing apples present numerous challenges for growers, packers, and shippers. In this article, we will explore some of the challenges facing apple growers and the technological and operational innovations that are helping to overcome these challenges.

This week the Global Food Safety Initiative’s annual conference met in Atlanta. With more than 800 delegates from 50 countries, this conference brings together food safety experts from around the world. This conference’s theme: Delivering Safe Food in Turbulent Times: The Need for Agility & Resilience centered around how climate change, global political instability, and supply chain disruptions have affected access to safe food.

Autonomous tractors, robot weeding, even smart sorting machines and pack lines are all examples of advanced agtech innovations that have been widely accepted in the industry. But when it comes to transforming produce into the actual food we eat, there has been a hesitancy to adopt the same autonomous technologies.