Walid Battal
The smart agriculture sector is constantly evolving this year, with new technologies and trends emerging to improve farming practices. The smart agriculture market is experiencing an increase in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. This digital transition makes it possible to improve forecasting and analysis of data from sensors and other sources of information collection, and thus facilitates the optimization of farming methods. In the smart agriculture market, North America currently holds the top spot in terms of market share, with the United States taking the leading position in the region.
The United States is experiencing a significant evolution in the agricultural sector, due to new precision technologies. As of 2024, the precision agriculture market is estimated to be worth $13.11 billion, with 12.7% annual growth kept on track to reach $23.84 billion by 2029. This expansion is supported in particular by advanced technologies such as drones, remote sensing systems, ground-based sensors and targeted spraying systems. These technological tools allow farmers to optimize the use of water resources, fertilizers and pesticides and thus minimize operating costs.
In an effort to encourage the adoption of these technologies, the U.S. government, through the Department of Agriculture (USDA), recently allocated nearly $200 million in support of precision agriculture research and development between 2017 and 2023. This funding includes partnerships with the National Science Foundation to support AI R&D projects for local agriculture.
In addition, only 27% of U.S. farms had adopted precision farming practices in 2024, demonstrating considerable growth potential. The main obstacles remain the high cost of technologies and concerns about agricultural data management. Among the solutions put in place to facilitate this, there are several colleges and universities in the United States offering courses directly related to precision agriculture, among others: GPS, geolocation systems, remote sensing (drones, on-board sensors, recommendation maps and other technologies).