[goda90]

Robotics might hold promise for ditching pesticides too. There's already laser weed killing machines. Could we target specific insects with smaller robots that can move under and between plants?

There's also just trying to use nature to help use. Beneficial fungus can be fostered to out compete harmful ones. Chickens can be unleashed in the fields at the right times to reduce the insect load. Maybe we could genetically modify sterile predator insects to hunt down the pests and then die off since they can't reproduce themselves.

[snypher]

Honestly this is being tried but we can't even classify emerging new pests (for lack of science funding and staffing). Many engineers have a keyboard view of how the agriculture industry works and only when they are boots on ground do they realize the actual problems faced by farmers. This is not an attack on engineers, but for every person with a weed laser idea, there's very few willing to implement it.