In Egypt, AgriCan’s robots make farming smarter, one field at a time

Where once workers would toil under the heavy heat, sleek, wheeled robots glide silently between rows of strawberry plants on Abdel Rahman Abdel Karim’s farm in Egypt’s Nile Delta. Mechanical arm rise and swivel, releasing a fine mist of chemicals with pinpoint accuracy onto the leaves below. 

In 2023, when Abdel Karim was battling a severe infestation of powdery mildew and needed an immediate remedy, these robots became a lifeline.

“It was the first time we saw robots outside of the internet,” he told TechCabal. “They sprayed pesticides quickly and with precision, something that would have taken human labor much longer and with less accuracy.”

Each year, around the world, an average of 10 to 28 percent is lost to agricultural pests, driving a global reliance on herbicides and insecticides. These chemicals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), are among the leading causes of fatal self-poisoning in low- and middle-income countries. 

In 2015, Salem Ghanam, then a young engineer, was hospitalized in a rural Egyptian province. Bedridden for days, he encountered dozens of farmers suffering from a number of respiratory ailments, all sparked by excessive pesticide exposure. Years later, tasked to come up with an AI-driven innovative solution while studying for his senior year, Ghanam recalled the plight of these farmers.

“I realised Egypt has a serious problem with the uncontrolled use of pesticides, which can cause cancer,” he explained. “Farmers often don’t wear protective gear due to a lack of awareness, and because spraying usually happens in the summer, the heat makes wearing such equipment unbearable.” 

Motivated by this, Ghanam gathered a team of university peers and experts to develop precision pesticide-spraying devices, and what began as a student project grew into a full-fledged agritech startup, and in 2020, AgriCan was born.

AgriCan leverages robotics and smart technologies to boost crop yields and quality by cutting pesticide use and improving crop monitoring. Initially focused on drones, the company shifted in 2022 to ground-based robots equipped with AI and Internet of Things systems. The robots, using cameras and data analytics, would diagnose plant diseases and deliver targeted pesticide doses reducing waste and environmental impact.

Structural barriers

AgriCan’s mission unfolds against a backdrop of deeply rooted challenges. Many Middle Eastern and African countries remain reliant on rudimentary or outdated agricultural techniques, in stark contrast to countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have advanced in areas such as vertical farming and AI-driven agriculture. Yet, much of the region lags behind, slow to adopt sustainable and productivity-enhancing technologies.

“The issue stems from the dominance of smallholder farmers in Egypt, who rely on traditional practices due to limited financial resources,” UN expert on agricultural sustainability Mohammed Ali Faheem explained. “Additionally, there’s a general lack of technological literacy among farmers, leading to hesitation in adopting new tools.”

There are also structural challenges, he said: weak digital infrastructure, limited connectivity in rural areas, and insufficient investment in agritech, adding that the lack of strong governmental support and clear policies to drive agricultural digital transformation has slowed the adoption of modern technologies on a wide scale.

“Convincing farmers to use a robot is a significant hurdle – it’s something completely new to them,” Ghanam explained. 

Caused by a variety of fungal species, powdery mildew affects hundreds of crop and fruit species worldwide.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Early on, AgriCan offered free trial services to demonstrate the technology’s benefits. Over time, farmers began to notice improvements in crop quality, and word of mouth spread among agricultural communities. Today, AgriCan is working with research centres in Egypt to develop training programs for farmers to familiarise them with agricultural technologies.

Faheem noted the “critical role” of smart agricultural tools, such as robots and sensor-based greenhouse monitoring systems, in enhancing sustainable development. 

“These technologies improve agricultural yields without depleting natural resources, reduce crop diseases and waste through AI and sensor-based systems, and limit environmental pollution through targeted spraying, ultimately reducing health risks,” he explained.

These solutions, he argues, could also promote regional cooperation in agricultural research and development between Arab and African countries. Such technologies tackle key challenges by offering efficient alternatives as rural labor continues to migrate to urban areas. They also reduce operational costs compared to traditional methods, improving farm profitability. In addition, sensor systems and robotics enable farmers to better adapt to changing climate conditions.

According to Faheem, however, concerns persist about the cost and risks of robotic technology, especially for smallholder farmers.

“The high price of these robots could be prohibitive for small farmers,” he told TechCabal. “Any malfunction in the devices or errors in AI systems could lead to significant crop losses if there are no fallback options and repairs or replacements could add further financial strain on farmers already operating on tight margins.”

For Ghanam, while Faheem’s concerns are valid, he sees climate variability as the biggest hurdle to scaling the technology.

“One of the key obstacles is adapting robotic solutions to sudden climate shifts within the same growing season,” he said. “We need to design systems that can respond effectively to unpredictable weather patterns, and that’s no easy task.”

Despite these hurdles, Ghanam is confident in the efficacy of his technology. He points to a field study his team conducted where a farm was split into two sections, one operated by a human workforce, the other by a robot. Both areas grew the same crops under identical conditions. The results were telling: the robot-assisted section produced 15% higher yields, used 31% less pesticide, and reduced labor needs by 12%. Abdel Karim also saw similar results. 

“The quality of the harvest improved by 15 to 20 percent compared to previous seasons, and we managed to export a large share of our crop,” he said. However, he pointed out that robotic solutions cost more upfront, compared to hiring human labor.

So far, AgriCan has deployed its technology across 5,230 acres on more than 15 farms and expanded to markets in the UAE and Jordan. The next major milestone will come in 2025, with the launch of Egypt’s first agricultural robotics factory. By 2027, Ghanam aims to have AgriCan operating on more than 500,000 acres in Egypt, driving what he hopes will be a revolution in agricultural automation, one that fuels economic growth, creates jobs, and builds local expertise.

Beyond robots

AgriCan’s portfolio also extends beyond robotics. According to Ghanam, the company has developed pesticide spraying systems for greenhouses and portable plant disease detection devices that allow researchers and farmers to diagnose diseases without laboratory samples. Additionally, the startup offers data-monitoring tools that track soil moisture, salinity, and carbon dioxide levels inside greenhouses. 

These innovations come at a time when concerns over automation replacing human labor are rising. Yet, with a steady decline in agricultural workers across Egypt and other regions, such technologies are seen as essential. The World Bank has underscored their importance in fighting poverty, increasing agricultural productivity, and mitigating climate change impacts.

“Beyond spraying and greenhouse monitoring, we’re now developing transport robots capable of moving up to half a ton of crops and supplies within and between greenhouses,” Ghanam said. “We’re also planning to deploy these robots at ports to help reduce the physical strain on dockworkers.” 

Additionally, the startup began integrating satellite imaging technologies to assess land conditions, monitor crop health, detect stress levels, and track localised heat patterns.

AgriCan’s innovations led to a major milestone when the company represented Egypt at COP28 in Dubai after winning the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects competition. It is also set to represent Egypt at COP29 in Azerbaijan, following a third-place finish at the Africa Grows Green Award.

“We’re now working to secure patents in both Egypt and Europe for our precision spraying mechanisms,” Ghanam said. “The goal is to optimise pest control with a completely new spraying system.”

This article is published in collaboration with Egab.