UK strawberry growers turn to AI and robotics to boost yields

UK – Saga Robotics has launched a new partnership with Bitwise Agronomy and Chambers Farm, aiming to help strawberry growers make better decisions using real-time crop data and artificial intelligence.

At the center of the project is Saga’s Thorvald robot, already in use for delivering UV-C light treatments that protect plants from diseases.

The robot will now also collect high-quality video footage of fruit and flower development in real-time. Using onboard AI, Thorvald will assess the ripeness and volume of strawberries as they grow.

This information will feed directly into Bitwise Agronomy’s data platform, which blends video data with weather updates and sensor readings to help farmers predict yields with much greater accuracy.

“Thorvald is already delivering UV-C treatments. Now it’s doubling its value, giving growers clarity, not guesswork,” said Damian Flynn, Chief Product Officer at Saga Robotics.

The testing ground for this collaboration is Chambers Farm, a well-known soft-fruit producer in the UK. The project is being rolled out across two of its strawberry-growing sites.

With better forecasts, growers will be able to plan harvests not just a few days in advance, but weeks or even months ahead. This level of planning can improve supply chain coordination and reduce waste.

Why the timing matters

This partnership arrives at a time when agriculture faces growing pressure to produce more with fewer workers and tighter resources.

Labor shortages and an aging workforce continue to strain farms across the UK and other regions. Many producers are turning to smart technologies to maintain output and reduce costs.

The shift is also reflected in the numbers. According to market data from 2025, the smart agriculture sector is valued at US$25.36 billion and is projected to grow to over US$54 billion by 2030.

The agricultural robot market alone is expected to hit US$31.33 billion by 2030, more than doubling in just five years.

AI in agriculture is also gaining ground, with the global market forecast to grow nearly tenfold from US$4.7 billion in 2024 to US$46.6 billion by 2034.

Future developments are expected to move beyond prediction tools. Smart farms will soon integrate edge computing, 5G networks, and traceability systems that help buyers track produce from the farm to the shelf.

There is also growing interest in “carbon-smart” farming and digital services that will make AI tools available to small farms.

This latest move by Saga Robotics and its partners shows that UK growers are not waiting on the sidelines. With a working system in place, the team hopes to scale this approach to other crops and countries in the near future.

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