I'm not convinced agriculture can be "perfected", or that automation is necessarily the way to go. In some situations (e.g., dense urban environments) it seems

I'm not convinced agriculture can be "perfected", or that automation is necessarily the way to go. In some situations (e.g., dense urban environments) it seems to make sense, but I think there will remain an important role for smallholders. Huge industrial outfits may make sense under some circumstances, but I think we need a renaissance in small- and medium-sized farms in the developed world, and their protection in the developing world, with farmers incentivized to diversify their output, rejuvenate their land, and produce primarily for their local and regional communities, rather than barely scraping by with destructive practices and federal subsidies as they are often forced to do today. Many farmers in the United States do not even own the land they work, reducing incentives for responsible management. The fact that our political and economic systems do not prioritize long-term agricultural viability, as you point out, ought to give us pause.