Agriculture & Food Systems Weekly AI News
December 29 - January 6, 2026Artificial intelligence is transforming agriculture around the world in exciting new ways. According to experts, AI is already helping farmers make smarter decisions about growing crops and managing their farms. From autonomous tractors that drive themselves to smart sensors that detect problems in crops, technology is making farming easier and more efficient.
One major innovation is selective spraying, where AI helps farmers spray only the plants that need help instead of spraying entire fields. This saves money and protects the environment. Meanwhile, startup companies are using AI for everything from breeding better crops to monitoring livestock. A company called AGCO is taking a new approach by asking farmers directly what they need before building AI tools, making sure the technology actually works for real farmers.
Researchers are also using explainable AI, which is a type of artificial intelligence that can explain its decisions, to help predict how weather affects crops like sunflowers. In addition, scientists are combining AI with gene editing to create stronger grain crops that can survive droughts and climate change. These technologies are being developed not just in big cities, but also in rural areas like Spain, where farmers are using AI to simulate different growing conditions before planting.
The goal of all these innovations is simple: help farmers grow more food using less water, fewer chemicals, and less work. Many farmers were worried about accepting new technology, but experts say AI is becoming just as common in farming as it already is in other parts of people's lives. As 2026 begins, the agricultural industry is moving toward a future where machines and intelligent software work together with farmers to feed the world more sustainably.