The mechanization of agriculture over the past century has resulted in significant increases in productivity and convenience that allow a small percentage of farmers to produce the majority of the food required to sustain mankind. Mobile machinery, introduced in the early 1900s, was a breakthrough innovation that afforded much of that evolution. This has been one of the main factors that allowed food production to keep in pace with the fast-growing population of the world. In December 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau projected that the world's population would grow from its current number of 6 billion to 9 billion people in 2040, despite the talk of falling birth rates in developed nations. Extrapolating the figures linearly, it is roughly estimated that a 50% increase in food production will be required to provide for the world's population. Recent advances in automation have provided increases in productivity over the past 10 years through precision guidance and management of machine functions. These advances provide part of the driving force leading to field robotics as an enabling technology for food production.
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