The 4 next big things in food and agriculture for 2026

Climate change is making food harder to produce, even as agriculture remains a major source of emissions. At the same time, farmers are contending with labor shortages, rising costs, and pressure to get more out of every acre. New technologies are helping them do that, from robotic beekeeping and AI systems that reduce crop loss and pesticide use to tools that identify the genes behind more resilient crops. BeewiseFor automating beekeeping at scaleFor commercial beekeepers, keeping tabs on thousands of hives across miles of farmland is a challenge. A hive can develop a health problem without anyone noticing, simply because it’s not physically possible to visit every hive often enough. ROBI, Beewise‘s solar-powered robotic beekeeper, is designed to help by autonomously moving down flexible rails that sit between rows of beehives. It captures images of each frame in a hive so software can analyze colony health. It can also feed bees and treat disease as needed. Some of the largest pollination providers in the U.S. are now beginning to roll it out. FarmwaveFor using AI to reduce crop lossFarmers harvesting crops such as corn and soybeans can lose tens of thousands of dollars in produ…