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I watched a robot arm sort tomatoes in Corvallis and I think I'm wrong about automation
I was at the Corvallis farmers market last month and saw a robot arm sorting tomatoes by color and firmness at a booth, doing it faster and more consistently than the two people next to it. Everyone around me was excited about the tech, but I walked away feeling uneasy because the farmers I know can't afford a $30,000 arm and those two workers lost a job that paid them $15 an hour. Is it just me, or are we celebrating automation that only helps the big operations while small farms get left behind?
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luna_jackson2823d ago
Man, I felt this one in my soul because I once tried to grow three tomato plants on my porch and killed them all within two weeks, so clearly I am not the guy to judge farm tech. But yeah, your gut is right here. That arm costs more than most small farms make in a season, and the two workers who got replaced aren't getting a share of whatever the booth saved. We keep clapping for stuff that only makes sense if you're already big enough to afford it. Small farms have been getting squeezed out for years and this just speeds it up while everyone calls it progress.
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