FutureFood

1701The horse-drawn seed drill invented in England

1835The first horse- drawn combine harvester built and patented

1892The first petrol-powered tractor invented in the United States.

1938The first self-propelled combine harvester built in Australia

1950s-1960sThe Green Revolution: new technologies to increase agricultural production including use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

1980sFarmers use computers to track crop prices and weather conditions

1980sFirst drones used for farming in Japan

1994The age of precision agriculture begins with farmers using GPS technology

1999The idea for ‘vertical’, high-density indoor farming developed in the United States.

2015Air and soil sensors providing real-time farm conditions become widely used

2017Introduction of robotic technology using artificial intelligence to control weeds

2018Optical sensors and drones identifying crop health become widely used