Farming has always been a high-skill, high-stakes job, but today’s farmers are facing challenges our grandparents wouldn’t even recognise.
In the UK alone, fields are being battered by climate extremes and recent research shows 84 per cent of farmers have seen crop yields or livestock output fall thanks to a mix of heavy rain, drought and soaring heat. Add labour shortages, rising machinery costs and the pressure to produce more food with fewer resources, and the future of British agriculture starts to look uncertain.
However, where the problems have multiplied, the solutions have become increasingly creative. And one of the most unexpected contenders isn’t a massive new Lamborghini tractor, a miracle fertiliser or a genetically turbocharged super-crop. It’s virtual reality (VR). Yes, the same immersive tech usually associated with gamers is quietly becoming a lifeline for the food system.
Here are five ways VR could help build future-proof farms and safeguard our food supply for a growing population.
The VR simulator that’s saving lives
Most days on the farm involve driving a tractor, but for new operators this can be nerve-wracking. Tractors may be slow, but the risks certainly aren’t.
Rural roads are notorious for narrow lanes, excess mud, hidden ditches, overgrown hedges and blind bends, all of which significantly increase the risk of fatal collisions.
So, researchers at Nottingham Trent University have created a tractor-specific VR hazard-perception test. Using real 360-degree footage filmed from tractors (cameras strapped to bonnets and mirrors) learners are dropped into the same situations farmers say are most dangerous: hidden cyclists, potholes, tight squeezes and cars that treat a 14-tonne vehicle like scenery.
In trials with more than 100 drivers, many said they struggled to spot hazards early enough, particularly those who’d previously been in collisions. If you’ve ever seen one on the roads, you’ll know that tractors turn wider, move slower and have different blind spots than cars, so traditional training just isn’t enough.
The hope is that this VR test becomes a proper teaching tool in colleges and young farmers’ clubs, helping new drivers stay safe before they ever hit the road.
Practice technical skills in VR
VR is also training the next generation of vineyard workers, without risking damage to the vines. New Zealand’s MaaraTech Project has developed a system that lets trainees practice cutting vines indoors, pre-season and even on wet days. After all, pruning in real life on wet days is risky. The moment you cut a vine, you expose living tissue, and moisture makes it easier for fungal diseases like downy mildew or botrytis to take hold.
Meanwhile, researchers at Eurecat – a European research & development centre that partners with several universities on agricultural innovation – have taken things a step further with sensor-equipped pruning shears inside VR, showing you where and how to cut with the right pressure, angle and posture. The goal isn’t just speed; it’s precision.
Cleaner cuts mean healthier vines, better grapes and fewer mistakes. And because this happens virtually, new workers can build confidence fast and lighten the load of seasonal labour shortages.
Headsets for headspace
Farming isn’t just physically demanding, it can take a heavy toll on the mind, too. Even the toughest farmers can feel stretched when weeks of rain wipe out planting windows, drought scorches fields, costs keep climbing and relentless demands pile up.
It’s perhaps no surprise that 95 per cent of farmers under the age of 40 believe that mental health issues are the biggest hidden problem facing agriculture today.
That’s where researchers at the University of East Anglia step in. Their Rural Minds project uses 360-degree VR experiences to immerse GPs, policymakers and support workers in the realities of farm life. This includes things like isolation, weather anxiety and financial strain.
It’s not just about empathy; it’s about making real change. The VR experience is being used to train GPs to recognise unique stressors in farming communities, finding better ways to support them and breaking down the stigma that can come with asking for help.
Unlike traditional therapy, where you might feel performance anxiety from the presence of a psychiatrist, farmers can learn coping strategies inside calming virtual environments tailored to rural life. Early feedback suggests VR could reach people who might otherwise avoid help entirely.
It might not be a cure-all, but it’s a promising step toward making mental health care as accessible as checking the weather forecast.
Learning the ropes without the mud
As well as helping make sense of farm life, VR is giving the next generation a head start. And it’s proving surprisingly good at getting kids interested without the mud, manure or early mornings.
Oregon State University’s DIVE4Ag project lets school children take virtual field trips on their smart devices, exploring dairy farms, urban gardens and aquaculture hatcheries.
Meanwhile, at Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in India, the Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Experience Centre gives agricultural students interactive lessons on crop growth, animal care and modern production systems.
As immersive VR learning becomes more widespread, it’s helping to spark curiosity and confidence, inspiring the next generation to consider careers in agriculture – long before they step onto a real farm.
Moo-ving into the Metaverse
If VR can train farmers, support mental wellbeing and teach us about agriculture, why not give animals a taste, too? In Turkey, a daring dairy farmer strapped VR goggles onto members of his herd, showing them lush green pastures while soft classical music played, all from the comfort of their barn.
The idea was to simulate a serene environment, reduce stress and hopefully boost milk production. Early results were udderly surprising – the cows’ average output jumped from 22 litres to 27 litres per cow, per day.
It’s a bit bonkers, but in times of extreme weather, keeping cows in the barn – where their feed, milking and health can be carefully managed – shows that perhaps the future of farming is where cows chill in the metaverse.
From safer tractors to VR‑soothed cows, virtual reality is proving it’s more than just a gamer’s gadget; it’s a glimpse into the farms of tomorrow. EIT Food is shining a light on these innovations, helping connect bold ideas with practical solutions, and showing how immersive tech could make agriculture smarter, safer, and more sustainable for everyone.