Purpose This paper aims to provide details of a number of recent and significant agricultural robot research and development activities. Design/methodology/approach Following an introduction, this first provides a brief overview of agricultural robot research. It then discusses a number of...

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate the growing importance of agricultural robots by providing details of recent product developments and their applications. Design/methodology/approach Following a short introduction, this first discusses a range of agricultural applications of drones. It then...

Purpose – The US Department of Energy has a goal to make ethanol from biomass cost competitive with petroleum by 2012. Feedstock procurement is expected to represent a significant portion of the operating costs for a refinery that produces ethanol from biomass such as switchgrass. Thus,...

Purpose – The US Department of Energy has a goal to make ethanol from biomass cost competitive with petroleum by 2012. Feedstock procurement is expected to represent a significant portion of the operating costs for a refinery that produces ethanol from biomass such as switchgrass. Thus,...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore recent calls to include social and environmental considerations in supply chains by analyzing the sourcing of raw materials from impoverished communities to reduce environmental impacts and social exclusion in biofuels production....