Table A.6: Technology sophistication in Agriculture - Weeding

||**Manual**<br>**application**<br>**of**<br>**herbicide,**<br>**fertil-**<br>**izer, or pesticide**|**Biological**<br>**methods**<br>**of fertilizing,**<br>**weed,**<br>**or pest control**|**Mechanical**<br>**applica-**<br>**tion of herbicide, fer-**<br>**tilizer, or pesticide**|**Fully-automated**<br>**VRA**<br>**tools**<br>**(Preci-**<br>**sion Agriculture)**|**Drone**<br>**Application**<br>**(Advanced Precision**<br>**Agriculture)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Functionality**|Simple tools for apply-<br>ing inputs by hand.|Utilizes natural preda-<br>tors and organic materi-<br>als to enhance soil fertil-<br>ity and control pests.|Mechanized<br>sprayers<br>can<br>cover<br>large<br>ar-<br>eas and apply inputs<br>consistently.|VRA tools adjust the<br>number of inputs based<br>on<br>real-time<br>soil<br>and<br>plant conditions.|Drones can perform a<br>wide<br>range<br>of<br>tasks<br>such as applying inputs,<br>monitoring felds,<br>and<br>collecting data.|
|**Integration**|No integration with dig-<br>ital or mechanical sys-<br>tems.|Minimal<br>integration<br>with<br>other<br>systems;<br>relies on natural pro-<br>cesses.|Limited<br>integration<br>with<br>digital<br>tech-<br>nologies;<br>primarily<br>mechanical.|Integrated with soil and<br>plant sensors to provide<br>data-driven application<br>rates.|High<br>integration<br>with<br>remote sensing technol-<br>ogy and on-site sensors,<br>providing real-time data<br>and analytics.|
|**Automation**|Entirely<br>manual;<br>re-<br>quires signifcant labor<br>and time.|No automation; requires<br>human<br>oversight<br>and<br>management.|Requires human opera-<br>tion but signifcantly re-<br>duces the physical efort<br>and time.|Automated application<br>based on sensor data,<br>ensuring optimal use of<br>resources.|Highly automated with<br>minimal human inter-<br>vention,<br>allowing<br>for<br>precise application and<br>monitoring.|
|**Rank**|5|4|3|2|1|
|**Reason for Rank**|Least sophisticated with<br>basic functionality, no<br>integration, and no au-<br>tomation.|Low sophistication with<br>natural<br>functionality,<br>minimal<br>integration,<br>and no automation.|Moderate sophistication<br>with efective function-<br>ality, but limited inte-<br>gration with digital sys-<br>tems and requires hu-<br>man operation.|High<br>sophistication<br>with precise functional-<br>ity and good integration<br>with<br>digital<br>systems,<br>but<br>slightly<br>less<br>au-<br>tomated<br>and<br>versatile<br>than drones.|Most sophisticated with<br>high functionality, full<br>integration with digital<br>systems, and high au-<br>tomation.|
|**Technology Example**|Hand-held Sprayer|Composting and Natu-<br>ral Predators|Tractor-mounted<br>Sprayer|VRA Sprayer with Sen-<br>sors|Agricultural Drone with<br>Sensors|
|**Average Costs**|$20-$100|$50-$500|$1,000-$10,000|$20,000-$50,000|$10,000-$30,000|
|**Launch Year**|N/A (Ancient Tool)|N/A (Ancient Practice)|1950s|2000s|2010s|
|**ChatGPT ranking**|1|2.5|3|4.5|5|
|**Estimated time in a**<br>**task**|8-10 hours|4-5 hours|6-7 hours|2-3 hours|1-2 hours|

Source: The table draws upon various sources of information including desk research, and websites of various online marketplaces for agricultural tools like Home Depot and Rogers Sprayers. *CHATGPT estimates the time for weeding and pest control in a medium-sized field, following similar characteristics of a given firm. The prompt for these estimates and CHATGPT ranking is available in the appendix.