Have a go at this teaching activity, which includes a downloadable worksheet and suggested answers

Software and other tech helping to improve efficiency in farming.

Modern farms across North America are becoming increasingly capital intensive as farmers invest in advanced technologies to improve their operations.

This includes precision spraying equipment that uses sensors and cameras to target weeds whilst travelling at speed, reducing pesticide use and cutting costs.

Over half of North American farmers plan to adopt new yield-increasing technologies within two years.

Specialist software can be used to track harvests, plan seed orders, and optimise crop management. These are tasks that previously required manual work inputting data into spreadsheets.

These innovations help farmers increase productivity (or yields), reduce waste, and make better-informed decisions about their crops.

However, this transition is not without challenges. Younger farmers embrace these changes but older generations may resist such major shifts in working practices. There are both opportunities and potential threats for stakeholders in food production.