The Future of Work in Agriculture: AI, Automation, and the Veteran Workforce

A few days ago, I sat across from a man who had worked in Indian Army and farmed three acres.

He looked tired. Not from battle. But from trying to stay relevant.

With the constant stream of news on LinkedIn and X about people being laid off or quietly leaving their jobs to pursue their own ventures, it's easy to feel uncertain about the future trajectory of employment.

He said something that hit harder than any news headline:

And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

It's normal for people who work in sedentary office jobs to feel anxious. However, if someone who has experienced the tough realities of life is also feeling this way, it indicates that their anxiety is genuine.

We’re seeing the AI-fication of things everywhere in farming, aren’t we?

• Machines that can sow seeds.

• Drones that scan soil better than we ever could.

• Apps that give weather predictions, pest alerts, market prices — all in a few taps.

It’s remarkable.

And terrifying.

And… complicated.

Because for every story of “efficiency,” there’s another of someone being left behind.

A farmer whose skill is in his hands, not his phone.

A soldier who can lead men but struggles with spreadsheets.

A community that built with sweat and now told the future belongs to code.

I saw a LinkedIn post last week. Big global firm.

“Now hiring ex-defense professionals. AI upskilling program included.”

Sounds amazing, right?

But when I spoke to a retired officer who applied, he said:

That’s not a transition.

That’s a trap.

We can't plug people into tech like batteries and expect magic.

These are humans, not hardware.

Here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud:

Especially in agriculture.

Especially for veterans.

Especially for people whose worth was always measured in discipline, intuition, and lived experience, not dashboards.

But here's the flip side:

What if we stopped asking, “Can this person learn AI?”

And instead asked, “What can AI learn from this person?”

What if we paired the discipline of a veteran with the speed of a model?

What if we used AI to amplify farmers, not replace them?

What if the goal wasn’t disruption but dignity?

I’m not anti-AI.

I use it every day. I write with it. I research with it. I build with it.

But I keep coming back to one thing:

Let’s make space for that.

If you’re a veteran trying to pivot - I see you.

If you’re a farmer watching machines take over your field - I see you too.

You're not behind. You're just in between.

And no matter how fast the future moves, the one thing it can’t replicate is your story.

Let’s make sure it doesn’t replace you either.

Write back if this hit home. Or if you’re figuring it out too.

You’re not alone in this.

I’m right here: learning, unlearning, and building with you.

Until next time,

Jai Jawan. Jai Kisan.

🫡🌱