Japan is looking to robots to automate farming and harvesting fruit. The world’s first robot farm will be operational by June of next year, and automated helpers will carry out all tasks. JJ Price, Spread’s global marketing manager, said the seeds will still be planted by humans, but every other step, from transplanting young seedlings as they grow to harvesting the lettuce, will be done automatically. The automated system will also control the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide level, and light, and purify the water.

Between its two farms, Spread will see a boost in the production of lettuce from 21,000 heads a day to 50,000. Costs will be slashed – LED lighting cuts energy costs by a third, and 98 percent of the water used will be recycled.

Malaysia is leveraging sensor data on its farms, and aims to increase farming productivity by 20% in the next five years.  Malaysia– one of the largest exporters of palm oil in the world – has launched a national Internet of Things (IoT) plan with agriculture as one of its priorities. It wants to ramp up farming capacities, and envisions generating revenues of 320 million USD in 2020 using smart farming technology.  MIMOS, Malaysia’ ICT R&D center, has developed an IoT platform that captures environmental data and shares it across agricultural producers, traders and suppliers. It is trialing sensors on farms, to track the health of fish in breeding ponds, and to automate irrigation. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation last month developed a platform for consumers and exporters to track the standards of durians.  It uses big data analytics and allows consumers to check details like authenticity and logistics data by scanning a barcode on the fruit.

Thailand is piloting the use of big data analytics in farming. At Mahidol University, Dr Teerakiat Kerdchaoen and his team are looking into precision farming – a technology that can help farmers reduce wastage in agriculture. So far, he has tested drones that monitor crop conditions, ground robots that gauge the nutrients in the soil, and a weather forecasting system to inform farmers of weather changes. This approach can decrease farming costs and reduce damage to the environment by slashing the use of chemicals.

Farms throughout the region are supplementing agricultural manpower with robots, drones, and sensors. It’s already widespread and getting more popular by the day.