Charting the Future of Ag Technology at FIRA USA 2025

On Day 2 of FIRA USA 2025, experts from across California’s agriculture and technology sectors gathered for a panel that drilled into some of the toughest questions facing the industry. FIRA stands for International Forum for Agricultural Robotics. The conversation centered on the real challenges of adopting ag tech and, more importantly, on the inclusive strategies the sector must embrace to thrive in the years ahead.

Labor Shortages Drive the Push for Automation

Labor scarcity remains one of agriculture’s biggest hurdles, and panelists spoke candidly about why automation and robotics are no longer just attractive options, they’re essential. Pete Donlon, Vice President at Misionero, explained that his company processes all of its crops, primarily leafy greens, in facilities where products are prepared for food service or retail, operating in both the Salinas Valley and Arizona. He emphasized that the business faces typical challenges in agriculture, such as a seasonal workforce and very slim profit margins. These pressures make it essential to find more efficient processes, which is why adopting ag technology has become a top priority in their operations.

Technology Needs People

Speakers stressed that successful technology rollout hinges on listening to workers and investing in robust training. “There’s a sense of autonomy and self-efficacy that people need to have in order to create that change,” said Karen Aceves, CEO of Arken Strategies. “In our recent farm worker survey, when we surveyed 12,000 farm workers, that’s what we saw … people said, ‘I would love technology. What is it? And how do I get there? How do I get trained?’ I think it’s the disconnect between the pathways to understanding — what is my role with technology? That is such a broad term. Who even knows what ag tech means?”

Oscar Garcia, Chief Executive Office at Alliance HRMG, spoke to the cultural and organizational challenge. “It is assumed by leadership that by making a decision at the top, everybody will align and adopt the technology, because the benefits for the business is so clear that everybody should have the exact same vision, right? Everybody should understand. And that’s when I have seen these initiatives fail the most, when there’s a full disconnect between the decision makers and the workforce. If you don’t do your due diligence by asking the end user and participating in the development of the decision and how to go about implementing it, it’s going to be difficult to extract the full value of the technology that you are trying to implement.”

Preparing for Workforce Transformation

Instead of focusing on job loss as ag technology advances, the panelists urged the industry to view these changes as opportunities for job transformation. As Garcia explained, the core aim of technological progress in agriculture has always been to increase productivity — doing more with less. Rather than eliminating work altogether, these transitions should be seen as a call to prepare today’s workforce for new types of roles. “I just don’t see it as a job loss. I see it as a job transformation, and we need to help these communities,” he said.

Aceves added that the next generation of the workforce is ready for these new roles. “We have 60 to 70 farm workers that are excited about AI. And we’re in a generation where, you know, millennials, Gen X, and boomers, AI and technology have made our lives a lot easier. I think the combination of those multiple generations working together is really going to be the sweet spot.”

Policy and Collaboration

Panelists also called for policies that are collaborative rather than punitive. Garcia emphasized, “Sometimes we see regulation very punitive in nature and being the agencies there to catch you on things that you are doing wrong. I think we need to change the rhetoric. It’s not an us versus them situation. There needs to be laws and regulations that make sense to the reality of the businesses that we have out there.”

Anne Visser, Professor at University of California, Davis, echoed the need for thoughtful, inclusive development of technology. “There’s so much promise in technology if it’s well thought out, balanced, the rollout is innovative, inclusive and involves everybody. But I think the bigger question we have to ask is not just what’s possible when it comes to technology, but how do we make it matter in the lives of the people who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods across the board?”

A Human-Centered Vision

The conversation closed with a look ahead. Technology, the panel agreed, should empower people at every level of the food system, and foster new opportunities, both in the field and beyond. As Connie Bowen, General Partner at Farmhand Ventures, put it, “We have an opportunity to leverage technology with people to fully change that, such that it’s just as normal to be a farmer or a farm worker as a doctor or nurse.”

FIRA USA’s panel made it clear that moving ag tech forward will require collaborative leadership, investment in the workforce, smarter regulation, and an unwavering focus on the people who keep farms and food systems running. With these principles in place, the future of agriculture will be both innovative and inclusive.

For more information about FIRA USA, visit fira-usa.com.