World ag robotics competition coming to Fresno
As a key market for ag-tech startups, Fresno, Calif., is a logical destination for an international ag robotics competition. The competition has been held in France for the last six years, and makes its U.S. debut in Fresno on October 18 – 20, 2022.
Ag-tech startups in California saw $5.6B in venture capital in 2020, more than the next four states combined. The state is 20% of the worldwide total, according to the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. With booming research and development, a growing startup environment and a globally dominating agriculture industry, California has proven it is at the forefront of technological innovation.
“We really wanted to bring a Fira event to the U.S. because the U.S. market for specialty crop ag tech startups is an important market to enter,” Walt Duflock, vice president of innovation at Western Growers, said. “So it makes perfect sense to have this event right in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley.”
The event site is significant for a number of reasons. Fresno is part of California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, a hub for fresh produce growers. The state provides a prime location for agtech companies looking to enter the agriculture market, said a press release.
The Global Organization for Agricultural Robotics, the University of California Agriculture and National Resources, Western Growers and the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Initiative launched the inaugural Fira U.S.A. competition.
“Since 2016, Fira has primarily hosted its flagship event in Toulouse, France,” Maialen Cazenave and Gwendoline Legrand, co-directors of Fira, said in the release. “The event organizers decided to join forces with local players to launch the first edition abroad in Fresno.”
World Fira chose Fresno to showcase autonomous systems and robots to California and North American growers, according to the release. In French, Fira stands for "Forum International de la Robotique Agricole", translated in English to "International Forum for Agricultural Robotics".
“We want to bring more robotics to California because California growers use more technology than in other areas of the world,” LeGrand said.
At the heart of the San Joaquin Valley of California, Fresno could be a central location to help fresh produce advance the use of technology that also elevates pay for laborers.
"It makes sense that Fresno can be the hub for ag innovation,” Ashley Swearingen, president and CEO at the Central Valley Community Foundation, said. “We can create a regional workforce through training current workers. It will diversify our economy and create high-level jobs.”
The event will bring together fresh produce growers, robot manufacturers, industrialists, academics, technologists, startups and investors. The hope is to start more conversations between ag-tech companies and growers.
The fresh produce industry has much to gain from ag robotics and automation. Fresh produce is labor intensive to grow and pick and require more sophisticated technological solutions.
According to Western Growers' Global Harvest Automation Report, the number of farmworkers has decreased by 70% over the past few decades. The result is a significant and growing gap between the labor available for specialty crops and the labor needed by growers.
Duflock is working to advance the pace of innovation in this sector through the Global Harvest Automation Initiative, which will be presented at Fira USA 2022. One of the initiative’s goals is to automate 50 percent of specialty crop harvest in the next 10 years.
“This event marks a pivotal moment. We need to solve pressing challenges by bringing together diverse groups,” Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer at the University of California Ag and Natural Resources, said. “The future workforce will require new skills, and it will take all of us.
Read more: Verdant Robotics delivers multi-action, autonomous farm robot for specialty crops
