Hydroponics would seem to be more amenable to automation though. So much of it (including the plants) can be standardized and monitored. While it probably does

Hydroponics would seem to be more amenable to automation though. So much of it (including the plants) can be standardized and monitored. While it probably doesn't make sense for everyone to have their own, manually maintained hydroponic garden, it might make sense to have large-scale, but local, highly automated gardens that produce food for the surrounding community.