Growing automation of agricultural work might cause less work for farm workers, predominantly women in Asia, Africa, and other geographies.

Robots already do much of the harvesting of lettuce and tomatoes in some greenhouses in the Global North. All these developments have a significant impact on the labor market. For countries in the industrial world, this growing automation probably means the continued decline of rural life. In Africa and large parts of Asia, women in rural areas constitute the majority of the agricultural labour force in small-scale and subsistence farming. Since official statistics do not capture unpaid work — be it in the garden, in the field, or in the household — they insufficiently represent women's actual share in agricultural work. Women in Africa and Asia who live in rural areas are often doubly affected by discrimination.