The African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies said the adoption of robotics in agriculture could strengthen modern farming practices and improve food security across the continent.
The panel said robotics-based mechanization holds strong potential for Africa’s farming sector, particularly in harvesting, which it described as a critical part of the economy and the region’s food security goals.
As a policy priority, the panel urged African Union member states to accelerate the adoption of modern agricultural techniques, including integrating robotics into weeding and harvesting. It noted that many farms still rely on labor-intensive manual practices, such as removing leaves and branches by hand, using cutting tools, and carefully picking fruit from plants.
The panel said robotic systems can support repeatable and systematic work in crop fields, including selective mechanical weeding, which can reduce the spread of superweeds, as well as monitoring crop and soil health. It said the wider use of robotic harvesting could help address poor harvesting practices and food wastage, improve efficiency, and support a more sustainable food supply for Africa’s growing population.
The panel also said robotics-based mechanization could help mitigate challenges linked to severe rainfall, drought, microbial contamination and physical damage, which it said contribute to global food wastage totaling 1.3 billion tons.
It said robots equipped with sensors and algorithms can assess crop ripeness, perform precision harvesting and operate in difficult weather conditions. The panel said this can reduce food losses and improve crop yields, supporting both food security and farmer livelihoods.
Market research firm MarketsandMarkets estimates the global agricultural robots market will be valued at $17.73 billion in 2025 and grow to $56.26 billion by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 26%.
The panel said artificial intelligence is accelerating the shift toward data-driven and efficient farming by enabling robots to carry out tasks such as seeding, crop monitoring, weeding and harvesting with minimal human intervention. It said machine learning and computer vision can help optimize resource use, improve yield prediction and cut operating costs.
It added that the integration of AI with autonomous tractors and drones can improve decision-making and support scalability across large farms.
The panel said as technology costs decline, AI-driven agricultural robots are becoming a strategic tool for sustainable, productive and resilient agribusiness operations.
It also noted that unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, hold the largest share of the agricultural robots market due to their range of applications, including crop monitoring, field mapping, precision spraying and soil analysis. It said drones equipped with high-resolution cameras, multispectral sensors and AI-enabled analytics can provide real-time insights into crop health, pest infestations and irrigation needs.
The panel said demand for precision agriculture and data-driven decision-making is driving increased adoption of drones across global farming operations.
It added that field farming applications are expected to grow significantly as automation and precision agriculture expand, with robots increasingly deployed for seeding, planting, weeding, irrigation and harvesting. The panel said these technologies can reduce labor dependency, improve efficiency and optimize the use of inputs such as water, fertilizers and pesticides.
