Editing Automation (section)

=== Agricultural production ===
{{Main|Agriculture}}
Many agricultural operations are automated with [[Agricultural machinery|machinery and equipment]] to improve their diagnosis, decision-making and/or performing. Agricultural automation can relieve the drudgery of agricultural work, improve the timeliness and precision of agricultural operations, raise productivity and resource-use efficiency, build resilience, and improve food quality and safety.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=In Brief to The State of Food and Agriculture 2022. Leveraging automation in agriculture for transforming agrifood systems |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |location=Rome | year=2022 |language=en |doi=10.4060/cc2459en |doi-access=free |isbn=978-92-5-137005-6}}</ref> Increased productivity can free up labour, allowing agricultural households to spend more time elsewhere.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=The State of Food and Agriculture 2022.Leveraging agricultural automation for transforming agrifood systems |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |location=Rome | year=2022 |language=en |doi=10.4060/cb9479en |doi-access=free |isbn=978-92-5-136043-9}}</ref>

The technological evolution in agriculture has resulted in progressive shifts to digital equipment and robotics.<ref name=":1" /> Motorized mechanization using engine power automates the performance of agricultural operations such as ploughing and milking.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |author=Santos Valle, S. |author2=Kienzle, J. |url=https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb2186en |title=Agriculture 4.0 – Agricultural robotics and automated equipment for sustainable crop production |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |location=Rome |year=2020 |isbn=}}</ref> With digital automation technologies, it also becomes possible to automate diagnosis and decision-making of agricultural operations.<ref name=":1" /> For example, autonomous crop robots can harvest and seed crops, while drones can gather information to help automate input application.<ref name=":2" /> Precision agriculture often employs such automation technologies<ref name=":2" />

Motorized mechanization has generally increased in recent years.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=FAOSTAT: Discontinued archives and data series: Machinery |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/RM |access-date=1 December 2021 |website=FAO}}</ref> Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where the adoption of motorized mechanization has stalled over the past decades.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Daum |first1=Thomas |last2=Birner |first2=Regina |date=2020-09-01 |title=Agricultural mechanization in Africa: Myths, realities and an emerging research agenda |journal=Global Food Security |language=en |volume=26 |page=100393 |doi=10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100393 |s2cid=225280050 |issn=2211-9124|doi-access=free |bibcode=2020GlFS...2600393D }}</ref><ref name=":2" />

Automation technologies are increasingly used for managing livestock, though evidence on adoption is lacking. Global automatic milking system sales have increased over recent years,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global milking robots market size by type, by herd size, by geographic scope and forecast |url=https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/milking-robots-market/ |access-date=24 July 2022 |website=Verified Market Research}}</ref> but adoption is likely mostly in Northern Europe,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rodenburg |first=Jack |date=2017 |title=Robotic milking: Technology, farm design, and effects on work flow |journal=Journal of Dairy Science |volume=100 |issue=9 |pages=7729–7738 |doi=10.3168/jds.2016-11715 |pmid=28711263 |s2cid=11934286 |issn=0022-0302|doi-access=free }}</ref> and likely almost absent in low- and middle-income countries.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Economics of adoption for digital automated technologies in agriculture. Background paper for The State of Food and Agriculture 2022 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |location=Rome | year=2022 |language=en |doi=10.4060/cc2624en |doi-access=free |isbn=978-92-5-137080-3}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Automated feeding machines for both cows and poultry also exist, but data and evidence regarding their adoption trends and drivers is likewise scarce.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />