Shaping the Deep-Tech Revolution in Agriculture
- 08 Nov 2025
On 7th November 2025, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a landmark report titled “Shaping the Deep-Tech Revolution in Agriculture”, outlining seven breakthrough technologies poised to transform global farming systems.
- The report arrives as agriculture faces mounting challenges — with one-third of the world’s soil degraded, 71% of aquifers depleting, and the average age of farmers nearing 60.
Key Points
- Rising Food Demand: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global food production must rise by 70% by 2050 to meet population growth, underscoring the need for innovation-driven agriculture.
- Seven Frontier Technologies:
- Generative AI: Enables predictive and data-driven decisions for pest management and crop planning.
- Computer Vision: Facilitates real-time crop monitoring and automated produce sorting.
- Edge IoT: Supports automation of irrigation, fertilization, and pest control even in low-connectivity zones.
- Satellite-Enabled Remote Sensing: Provides insights on soil health, crop conditions, and weather trends for precision farming.
- Robotics and Drones: Automates tasks like planting and harvesting to boost efficiency and reduce costs.
- CRISPR Gene Editing: Accelerates the creation of climate-resilient and nutrient-rich crop varieties.
- Nanotechnology: Delivers fertilizers and pesticides in targeted ways to reduce waste and environmental harm.
- Emerging Use Cases: Deep-tech convergence is enabling new agricultural models such as swarm robotics for weeding and harvesting, agentic AI systems for supply chain oversight, and precision irrigation integrating AI, IoT, and satellite data.
