WG2 – Critical perspectives on agricultural robotisation Convenors
IAWA
ISWA2026
Working groups
WG2 – Critical perspectives on agricultural robotisation Convenors

WG2 – Critical perspectives on agricultural robotisation Convenors

This working group will interrogate the relationships between agricultural workers/farmers and robots and the meanings of robotised agricultural work. It considers emancipatory perspectives, political ecologies of robotisation and robotisation in the broader context of digitalisation. The working group aims to contribute to critical agricultural research on digitalisation and automation by i) compiling empirical and theoretical contributions examining labour, meaning, inclusion, and political ecologies of robotisation in agri-food systems; ii) fostering dialogue across disciplines including agrarian studies, STS, political ecology, labour studies, and responsible innovation research; iii) mapping competing narratives and imaginaries of agricultural robotisation, and iv) exploring how agricultural robotics can be understood not only as technical artefacts but also as socio-political projects with implications for justice, sustainability, cultural heritage, and the transformation of agri-food systems.

Convenors: Olivier Ejderyan (FiBL, Switzerland)

Workflow of the operator when supervising multiple field robots under different operating conditions  
Ines Mühlbachler, Franz Handler 

 
Integrating uses and users into the design of digital agricultural technologies: an activity-centered approach   
Emma ALLIX, Adeline Masson, Alain Garrigou, Maude Quinio, Adelaide Nascimento
 

Emerging technology narratives of agricultural robotics in UK media, and their implications for responsible innovation
Kirsten Ayris, David Rose, Alice Mauchline, Anna Jackman
 

Articulating technocentric and anthropocentric approaches in the design and adoption of weeding robots in agroecology  
Adeline Masson, Alain Garrigou, Ouiddad Labbani-Igbida, Olivier Ly  
 

Robotics and Automation for Small-Scale Horticulture: A Systematic Review with a Focus on Disability Inclusion 
Maria Cecilia Perroni, Elisabeth Quendler  
 

Cyborg Terraces? On automating mowing and maintaining cultural heritage in the Lavaux vineyards  
Olivier Ejderyan  


An ethnographic study of Drone technology, embodied labour and Farmer's knowledge in agrarian India 
Bharti Varun 


The Aspects of Open Source Robotic Systems for Farming Applications: Democratisation of Food Production or Utopia?  
Dejan Šeatović   

Publication date: 11 September 2026 | By: I Avelange