
TOKYO -- Japanese machinery makers are developing technology that promises to make farming life easier. In Japan, as in other countries, the agricultural workforce is aging rapidly. With fewer young hands to help out, farmers are looking to autonomous vehicles, drones and other technologies to lighten their workload and maintain production.
European and U.S. farm equipment makers are developing autonomous machines for cultivating wheat. Japanese manufacturers, on the other hand, are nearly ready to bring to market autonomous technology for rice farming.