Agriculture is changing fastāand not in our favour. Small farms, the backbone of resilient and sustainable food systems, are vanishing. Precision Agriculture Technologies (PATs) could help farmers thrive, but most are designed for large-scale agriculture. These tools may make industrial farming look a bit āgreenerā, yet they ignore its deep flaws and only postpone collapse. What we need is not small fixes, but real transformation: a diverse network of small, independent, and locally rooted farms that nurture biodiversity, restore ecosystems, and support local economies. Technology can helpāif we use it to empower small farms instead of fueling industrial growth. The future lies in the hands of small farms.
When robots farm, do we still need farmers?
CropKit represents a first step toward a new kind of farming. Itās the beginning of an open product ecosystem designed to make life easier for small farmersāmodular, customizable, and interoperable. Its low entry barrier is modelled after a familiar tool, the two-wheel tractor, allowing farmers to start simple and expand gradually with add-on modules. This adaptability reduces dependency while respecting autonomy and context.
What makes CropKit special is how it was created: through close collaboration with farmers, biologists, and other stakeholders, supported by in-depth research. This process made one thing clear - technology alone cannot fix agriculture. Real change requires listening to those who work the land and building tools around their needs. CropKit is one such tool, aiming to empower small farms, nurture biodiversity, and drive the urgent transformation toward sustainable and resilient food systems. Time is short, but solutions are within reach.
CropKit represents a first step toward a new kind of farming. Itās the beginning of an open product ecosystem designed to make life easier for small farmersāmodular, customizable, and interoperable. Its low entry barrier is modelled after a familiar tool, the two-wheel tractor, allowing farmers to start simple and expand gradually with add-on modules. This adaptability reduces dependency while respecting autonomy and context.
What makes CropKit special is how it was created: through close collaboration with farmers, biologists, and other stakeholders, supported by in-depth research. This process made one thing clear - technology alone cannot fix agriculture. Real change requires listening to those who work the land and building tools around their needs. CropKit is one such tool, aiming to empower small farms, nurture biodiversity, and drive the urgent transformation toward sustainable and resilient food systems. Time is short, but solutions are within reach.
CropKit is essential because it demonstrates how technology can support the survival of small farms without replacing the central figureāthe farmer. It allows farmers to gradually and at their own pace become familiar with advanced technologies, such as the CropKit IQ module, and benefit from them.
Its modular design makes adoption easier both cognitively and financially, while also enabling the borrowing and sharing of modules among farmers. Ideally, CropKit helps reduce pressure in agriculture and simplifies the daily work of smallholders to the extent that they are not forced to abandon farming or scale up to industrial agriculture to survive.
Ultimately, CropKit aims to make small-scale farming a viable business alternative to Big Ag once again, proving that small is beautiful.
