Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: daily tasks & AI impact
This page breaks Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse into the top 15 daily O*NET tasks and scores each for Generative AI automation probability. Those task scores roll up to an overall vulnerability index of 27/100 (Moderate automation risk). Struck-through rows are ≥80% automatable; highlighted safer rows are under 30% or primarily physical.
High-automation exposure
No task in this set currently exceeds the 80% threshold, so risk is spread across moderate probabilities rather than a few catastrophic duties.
Durable human work
This profile has little “safe” task mass under our thresholds. Workers should treat AI fluency as mandatory and actively map transferable skills into lower-risk roles.
Importance comes from O*NET incumbent ratings. Automation probability is model-generated for current Generative AI capability (not speculative AGI). Digital / physical / mixed labels describe the modality of the work, which strongly correlates with near-term automation potential.
| Task | Importance | AI probability | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers. Supplemental | 4.17 | — | — |
| Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs. Core | 4.12 | — | — |
| Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting. Core | 4.09 | — | — |
| Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops. Core | 4.03 | — | — |
| Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them. Core | 4.03 | — | — |
| Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems. Supplemental | 4.01 | — | — |
| Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease. Supplemental | 3.83 | — | — |
| Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment. Core | 3.81 | — | — |
| Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand. Core | 3.78 | — | — |
| Set up and operate irrigation equipment. Core | 3.71 | — | — |
| Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress. Core | 3.69 | — | — |
| Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers. Core | 3.54 | — | — |
| Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops. Core | 3.45 | — | — |
| Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities. Core | 3.29 | — | — |
| Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping. Core | 3.1 | — | — |
What remains human
No tasks currently fall under the safe threshold for this occupation.
FAQ
Which Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse tasks are most exposed to AI?
No task in this set currently exceeds the 80% threshold, so risk is spread across moderate probabilities rather than a few catastrophic duties.
Which Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse tasks are safest from Generative AI?
This profile has little “safe” task mass under our thresholds. Workers should treat AI fluency as mandatory and actively map transferable skills into lower-risk roles.
How should I read the Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse task table?
Importance comes from O*NET incumbent ratings. Automation probability is model-generated for current Generative AI capability (not speculative AGI). Digital / physical / mixed labels describe the modality of the work, which strongly correlates with near-term automation potential.