This is according to Magnus Samuelsson, Technology Specialist, and Per Frankelius, Director of Agtech Sweden, an innovation platform at Link枚ping University.
Digitalisation in Swedish agriculture is advancing rapidly, a topic they addressed during a packed seminar at Borgeby Field Days 2026.
"Sweden has an opportunity to take a leading role in advancing digitalisation in agriculture. But there is a certain urgency to it," said Magnus Samuelsson.
听
Ulrik Svedin
听
Turning visions into reality
Per Frankelius and Magnus Samuelsson took the audience on a journey through time, beginning with historical visions of the future from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They also noted how manufacturers throughout history have competed to be first to present new technologies, but that this is often where the process ends. They showed a compilation of concepts that have been presented to the market but never reached commercial production.
"It is one thing to unveil a remarkable innovation at a trade fair, and quite another to turn it into reality. The entire sector needs to be a little more self-critical and examine what actually progresses beyond the concept stage," said Per Frankelius.
The speakers outlined both the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies, such as electric and autonomous vehicles. Many farmers may hesitate to make the leap. New technology is expensive, requires training, and carries the risk that the supplier may not survive in a competitive market. At the same time, these challenges can be weighed against the potential benefits. For example, a small autonomous field vehicle can work in the field while the farmer is occupied with other tasks.
Legislation
"Self-driving electric vehicles will be smaller than today's alternatives. Nevertheless, they can still be profitable because they can operate for longer periods and without a driver. That saves labour. Smaller vehicles in the field also reduce soil compaction. At present, the trend is moving in the opposite direction. Machines are becoming larger and ground pressure is increasing," said Magnus Samuelsson.
According to the speakers, legislation is also a key factor:
"We are seeing several countries in Asia move towards more permissive legislation for drones and autonomous vehicles, including Japan and South Korea. This is accelerating their development, manufacturing and sales of autonomous vehicles. Europe needs to wake up to this reality."
But what can Sweden do? The speakers identified two important areas.
The importance of supporting one another
"The first is collaboration," said Per Frankelius. "In a small country like ours, we are closely connected and need to support one another. The many organisations, regions, companies and universities that make up our sector together represent a very powerful force. If we work together, we can drive these issues forward and make our small country a pioneer nation."The second area concerns policymakers.
Ulrik Svedin
Magnus Samuelsson provided a practical example: how should autonomous machines be transported to the fields? A field may be many kilometres away and require travel on public roads. Using a trailer for every journey would be costly. However, he also presented a possible solution.
Machinery听lag behind
"So-called platooning. Major truck manufacturers have already explored the idea of linking autonomous lorries together in a convoy. If that concept is transferred to agricultural vehicles, one could imagine an autonomous machine being linked to a lead vehicle. That would remove the need to load a self-driving agricultural machine onto a trailer every time it needs to be moved."Throughout the seminar, the speakers repeatedly returned to the importance of maintaining an open and supportive innovation climate, while ensuring that the focus remains on solutions that actually work in practice.
One of the many observations highlighted during the seminar concerned agricultural implements, which are lagging behind in terms of technological development.
"A plough is still a plough. In most cases, it remains entirely analogue. People have come a long way in the digital transition, and the technology inside tractors is already there. But what is attached behind the tractor often looks much the same as it always has. We need more intelligent, connected implements equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence."
