Report Overview
The global autonomous crop management market size was valued at USD 1.45 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.2% from 2022 to 2030. The farmers' increased awareness regarding the benefits such as improved crop planning and tracking, minimizing labor costs, and weather forecasting is boosting the industry’s growth. The growth is also attributed to the increasing implementation of cloud computing for real-time crop data management and the growing global population resulting in rising food demand.
The software allows the farmers to implement environment-friendly farming practices, which in turn will reduce the use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides ensuring food safety. Further, modern agricultural practices would replace ineffective conventional agricultural methods, which would help the agriculture sector address sustainability issues. This change is anticipated to favorably impact the growth of the autonomous crop management industry over the forecast period.
Over the forecast period, it is anticipated that farmers' increased focus on crop output, productivity, and farm efficiency will boost growth. Technology advancements like cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to encourage the use of big data, AI, and robots in agriculture. The use of big data analysis in autonomous crop management is important for supplying farmers with predictive insights, restructuring business processes, and making operational decisions in real time to enhance agricultural productivity.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), by 2050, 70% of world food production is anticipated to increase across the globe. To meet the growing food demand, precision farming is the solution adopted in majorly populated countries such as India and China. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have become more widespread, enabling real-time access to data that simplifies data management tasks like planning, buying, harvesting, feeding, marketing, and inventory control. Real-time data collected from farming operations aid in analysis and decision-making.
The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the market, with several manufacturing units across India, China, Japan, the U.S., and European countries temporarily shutting down. The outbreak has severely disrupted the agriculture industry. Crop management systems play a significant role in addressing difficulties in agricultural output. Many businesses are using innovative strategies to provide more practical tools and meet the rising need for food. However, crop management software tools and remote sensing could lead to higher adoption post-COVID-19. Companies have already started focusing more on wireless platforms to enable real-time decision-making for crop health monitoring, irrigation scheduling, harvesting management, and field mapping.
North America held the largest industry share in 2021, owing to the presence of significant vendors, high adoption of advanced technologies to boost agriculture yield, and growing demand for crop management solutions. Also, the high income and purchasing power of farmers in developed countries like the U.S. and Canada play a significant factor in adopting crop management solutions. Digital farming involves high investments, which is considered a drawback for farmers, especially in emerging countries such as India, China, and Brazil. The capital investment in adopting smart agriculture is relatively high but it also provides a notable return on investment by boosting crop productivity and enhancing resilience.
Solution Insights
The software segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 64.7% in 2021 and is expected to remain dominant over the forecast period. The service segment is bifurcated based on professional and managed services. Professional services are categorized into system integration & consulting and maintenance & support. The crop management software improves planning and tracking, saves on input and labor costs, and complies with regulatory requirements.
The use of management software enables farmers to employ the most effective, environmentally friendly farming techniques. This adoption allows farmers to produce safe food with less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Predictive analytics software guides farmers about crop rotation, soil management, harvesting times, and optimal planting times.
Deployment Insights
The on-premises segment accounted for the largest market share of 54.6% in 2021. Cloud-based autonomous crop management segment is anticipated to grow with the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Cloud computing focuses on storage devices, shared networks, and servers, due to which the high costs of maintaining software and hardware infrastructure are eliminated. Using cloud computing for agriculture to monitor crop inputs and output can help to create climate change.
Also, most companies are adopting partnership strategies to enhance cloud-based applications. For instance, in 2020, Trimble and Ecobot, a software provider that offers cloud-based services to expedite environmental regulatory reporting, partnered. To enable quick, sub-meter accurate wetland delineation, the company's GNSS was integrated with Ecobot's Natural Resources Platform through this agreement.
Application Insights
Crop tracking and management accounted for the largest revenue share of 30.4% in 2021 and is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period. This is further attributed to the rising demand for crop growth monitoring and waste reduction by the timely provision of necessary water and minerals. The application of agriculture type includes crop tracking and management, weather tracking & forecasting, irrigation management, labor and resource tracking, and others.
The weather tracking and forecasting segment is estimated to grow with the highest CAGR from 2022 to 2030. Weather monitoring can help cut costs, prevent over or underwatering, and produce higher crop yields. Predicting the weather helps deter pests and other crop diseases from spreading and helps in crop-destroying problems. The market has grown due to the development of advanced data analytics services and machine learning techniques, improving weather forecasts' dependability and accuracy.
Increasing environmental consciousness among consumers and growing water scarcity have urged the need to modify agricultural management techniques that conserve natural resources, including soil, air, and water boosting the market growth. Furthermore, the irrigation management segment is anticipated to grow considerably in the upcoming years.
Regional Insights
North America accounted for the largest revenue share of 37.6% in 2021 and is expected to continue its supremacy in the coming years. Major tech companies offering crop management solutions are located in North America. Also, the region is considered to be an early adopter of technologies. Increasing government initiatives for adopting modern agriculture technologies coupled with the developed infrastructure are the major factors responsible for the market growth. For instance, a partnership of agricultural associations called the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) was established to educate and equip farmers for sustainable agricultural productivity.
Additionally, the U.S. and UAE Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) program calls on participating nations and corporations to make significant investments in "climate-smart" agriculture over the following five years. The USD 4 billion programs will fund public and private agricultural research facilities and make them more accessible to farmers to stimulate new scientific discoveries.
Over the years, the U.S. has been leading in deploying precision technology to farming techniques. According to the Economic Research Service published report, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), farms with the largest acreage are more likely to adopt smart agriculture technologies and software. An increase in the average farm size and a shortage of farm laborers are the factors influencing farmers to adopt farming software, which gives them data-driven insights for improving crop yields.
Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth during the projected period and is expected to witness the highest CAGR from 2022 to 2030. Smart farming in the region is in the stage of adoption, where an increase in government initiatives and rising awareness among cultivators are the significant factors responsible for the growth. For instance, Japan's agriculture ministry has been funding the advancement of precision agriculture. Each nation's farmers' groups and community-based organizations are focused on advancing sustainable agriculture.
Key Companies & Market Share Insights
To broaden their product offering, the companies utilize a variety of inorganic growth tactics, such as partnerships, regular mergers, and acquisitions. For instance, CropX, a top provider of soil and agricultural analytics, purchased CropMetrics to expand in the American market. The goal of this acquisition was to expand CropMetrics' product offerings throughout significant U.S. areas by utilizing their extensive dealer network, service model, user-friendly platform, and Variable Rate Irrigation System. Some prominent players in the global autonomous crop management market include:
Croptracker
Crop
Software Solutions Integrated (SSI)
Agrivi
Granular
Trimble
Farm ERP
Conservis
Raven Industries
Topcon Corporation
Proagrica
Cropin
CropX
Microsoft Corporation (Farm Beats)
IBM (Regenerative Agriculture)