Autonomy for small farmers: Opportunity or illusion?
The Ag Robot of the Year 2025 (AROTY) sent a clear message this year. Among the five finalists, with prices ranging from half a million dollars to just $12,000, both the jury and the public overwhelmingly chose the cheapest option: the FarmRobo iMog. This modest and affordable workhorse not only won the official title but also captured the preference of farmers worldwide.
What does this outcome tell us? Apparently, affordability is the key factor in the adoption of autonomous farming technology. And that makes sense. For many farmers, the investment in an autonomous solution does not outweigh current labor costs. In some cases, robots are purchased out of sheer necessity, simply because there are no workers available.
The iMog as a small revolution?
The FarmRobo iMog demonstrates that a new category of ag robots is possible: compact, simple, and low-cost. This evokes memories of the ‘Little Grey Fergie’ – the Ferguson T20, which mechanized farming and became the first real tractor for many farmers. Could the iMog do the same for autonomy? In India, FarmRobo’s home market, this machine could skip an entire mechanization generation, allowing small farmers to transition directly from manual labor to autonomous operations.
Economies of scale and economic reality
The high cost of autonomous farm machinery is a major barrier to widespread adoption. A 156-hp AgXeed for instance, costs around £300,000. That price still makes it a luxury product for most farmers. Then there’s John Deere, offering an autonomy option for its nearly 1,000-hp 9RX tractor. But to activate it, a farmer must pay an additional $100,000. And what does this investment ultimately save? Just a single worker. Meanwhile, the machine itself weighs 35 tons – a heavy burden on soil health.
Is this really the future of autonomy? A technology accessible only to capital-intensive farms, or an innovation that transforms agriculture for all? The iMog proves that another path is possible. Perhaps the future of autonomy is not in ever-larger and more expensive machines but in compact, scalable, and affordable solutions.
What’s Holding Farmers Back?
There is enormous pent-up demand for autonomous machines to lower costs, replace scarce labor, increase precision, and protect the environment. But as long as prices remain unrealistically high, widespread adoption will remain out of reach. What if prices were cut in half? Would that be the turning point?
Autonomous farming is no longer a distant dream. The technology is here, but the business model does not yet work for the average farmer. The winner of AROTY 2025 shows that an affordable future is possible – if the industry is willing to lower the entry barrier. Perhaps that is the real revolution.
