Small agricultural robots could reverse the sustainability trend in farming
With DKK 75 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, researchers from KU, SDU, DTU and Wageningen University aim to develop small field robots that make it possible to grow mixed crops in the fields. This could benefit biodiversity, improve the environment and fundamentally change agriculture.
For decades, the development in agriculture has followed a single path: machines have become larger, farms more efficient, and fields have expanded into vast areas planted with a single crop.
But that may now be about to change.
In a new research project, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), DTU and Wageningen University in the Netherlands will develop a series of smaller agricultural robots that make it possible to grow multiple plant species side by side.
This would clearly benefit biodiversity, but it could also reduce the need for fertilisers and pesticides, for example by growing nitrogen-fixing plants such as clover and lucerne together with crops like wheat and rapeseed.
The project is called Robotic Intercropping and is led by Professor Svend Christensen from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at KU.
- Large machines and monoculture go hand in hand because it is efficient. If we want to grow more crops together, it requires rethinking and different machines. Our goal is therefore to research systems where multiple crops are grown side by side in smaller strips using autonomous robots. This includes managing the competition between crops, both above and below ground, which is something robots can help with, says Svend Christensen.
Field robots with AI
Researchers from SDU will be responsible for developing the robots and their digital infrastructure.
Robots and drones in agriculture are not entirely new, but in order for them to genuinely take over some of the tasks currently performed by large machines and manual labour, there is a challenge in improving their intelligence and autonomy, says professor Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist, who heads SDU’s drone centre and leads the Robotic Intercropping project at SDU.
- If you want to grow multiple crops together, it requires field robots that can work precisely and flexibly, because each type of crop will need to be treated differently. The robots also need to be able to collaborate in swarms, so they can quickly cover the areas of the field where the need is greatest, explains Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist.
The robots have enormous potential in fieldwork because they are lightweight and therefore gentle on the soil, while their AI systems will allow them to efficiently monitor the growth and health of plants.
Farm robots is also an area where researchers at SDU already have experience, for example through projects like SqM-Farm.
- We are pleased that this project allows us to restart research into agricultural robots at SDU. With our extensive knowledge and expertise in robots, drones and software engineering, the aim is to create a completely new type of robot capable of handling the unique challenges that arise in a mixed-cropping field, says Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist.
Show the way forward
The Novo Nordisk Foundation also sees great potential in expanding the use of robots in agriculture.
That is why the foundation has chosen to support the Robotic Intercropping project with more than DKK 75 million over the next four years.
- There is a great need to develop new technologies and cultivation methods that can create a more sustainable and efficient food production system, says Claus Felby, Vice President for Agri-Food at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
- The Robotic Intercropping project could help point the way towards high-yielding agriculture with fewer inputs and less environmental impact – and at the same time shows how we, through innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, can accelerate the green transition.