Seminar - "Co-Innovation in Fruit Breeding and Agricultural Robotics: Designing Fruit for Robots and Robots for Fruit: Lessons from Apples, Blueberries, and Raspberries" - Thomas Reardon

Join us for a presentation by Thomas Reardon, a University Distinguished Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU & Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI.

Seminar Title: Co-Innovation in Fruit Breeding and Agricultural Robotics: Designing Fruit for Robots and Robots for Fruit: Lessons from Apples, Blueberries, and Raspberries

Brief Abstract:  Breeders can develop fruit with excellent market characteristics that is difficult to harvest robotically, while robotics companies can develop technically successful machines that are poorly matched to commercially viable fruit varieties or production systems. We present detailed case studies in apples, blueberries, and raspberries of the technical and business organization innovations that produced successful co-development of both public and private sector breeding and private sector robotic innovation and also analyze failure cases. The studies are based on interviews and review of secondary information. We learned from successes vs failures and identify the dimensions along which success/failure occurs. For example, we found that success – or failure – is determined by: (1) the price points for the farmers of the new breeds and new machines; (2) by the fruit/plant architecture and harvest requirements and timing; (3) by the labor savings and quality control performance of the innovative machines; and (4) by the intellectual property arrangements and business organizational arrangements of the links and interactions among the farms, breeding firms, robotics companies, and buyers (retailers and exporters) involved. This work is joint with Karina Gallardo of WSU.

Short Biography:  Thomas Reardon is University Distinguished Professor in the department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University and Non-Resident Fellow at International Food Policy Research Institute; Tom is Fellow of the AAEA and Honorary Life Member (Fellow equivalent) of IAAE. He researchers agrifood value chains dendritically (value chains of outputs, inputs, and lateral value chains of services such as logistics and outsource services and R&D&E such as breeding, and factors such as labor and land). He has 56,163 citations and H of 107 in Google Scholar.