According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world production of strawberries in 2021 was 9.175 million tons, with production led by China, the US, Turkey, and Mexico. In 2021, the global strawberry crop was produced on approximately 390,000 hectares. This FAO data includes strawberries for all uses, including fresh consumption and processing. The data combines field strawberry and table-top berry production.

Source: FAOSTAT and FAOSTAT Data Value of Ag Production

Production share of Strawberries by Global region in 2021 (FAOSTAT):

Controlled-environment or partially controlled-environment strawberry production is becoming increasingly popular, especially in Europe. However, despite continued growth in the practice of “table top” production in particular, there are still tens of thousands of hectares in field strawberry production across northern Europe, central Europe, and especially in southern Europe where temperatures rarely drop below the freezing point. The most prominent users of greenhouses and table-top production in the EU are Belgium and Netherlands, where this practice still represents less than a quarter of total product. Though this is an area worth watching for technologists hoping to serve the strawberry market in the future, field-grown strawberries are vastly more common globally and thus the primary focus of this page.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, US growers produced 1.335 million tons of strawberries in 2021. The Ag Marketing Resource Center puts that figure higher at 26.7 million hundredweight (2.67 billion pounds) of strawberries valued at more than $3.42 billion. In 2021, the average grower price for fresh strawberries was $143/hundredweight. Within the US, most strawberries are grown in southern California or Florida, though some amount of strawberries are grown in every state in the US. Approximately 49,400 acres in the US are currently in strawberry production.

Source: Produce Blue Book

California is responsible for approximately 91% of the US’s strawberry production in the 2021 season, with Florida producing approximately 8% primarily in the late fall and winter months. Other states including New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington produce most of the remaining.

Domestic (US) production by state 2021 according to USDA NASS metrics.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

The California Strawberry Commission’s Acreage Survey proposes that the total acreage of strawberry farms in CA was 40,285 in 2023.

Strawberry production has been on the rise in the last two decades due largely to an increase in domestic demand for fresh strawberries and an increasing variety of strawberries that allows for a wider production season. In California and Florida, strawberries are grown and harvested essentially year round.

Source: USDA ERS

According to MarketWatch, the Global Fresh Strawberry Market is estimated to be worth $18.37 billion USD in 2022 and is forecasted to grow to $23.21 billion USD by 2027 at a CAGR of 3.4%.

According to the USDA, the total (sales) value of strawberries production in the US in 2021 was $3.42 billion. US producers exported $544 million worth of fresh strawberries (521 million pounds) in 2021, representing the largest growth category among US fresh fruit and vegetable exports, with significant quantities destined for Canada, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.

Due to rising demand, US strawberry producers have significantly increased production in recent years, from 1.77 billion pounds in 2016 to 2.17 billion pounds in 2021, representing a 23% increase. In the US in 2021, imports accounted for 19% of the total supply.

The true addressable market for strawberry production technologies will be approximately equal to the cost of labor needed to manage and harvest strawberries. So to determine the value of a specific technology to the citrus sector, it’s necessary to understand the costs associated with strawberry production.

Successful strawberry growers manage a complex production system that takes careful and continuous management over a variety of shifting plant-life stages. Strawberry production requires significant land preparation, pre-planting preparation, and irrigation in most of its key production regions. Understanding the existing metrics and practices used by strawberry growers is important because it sets the target for the product development roadmap.

The vast majority of strawberries grown in the United States are grown in California. Growers in different geographies will face challenges unique to their climates and geographies, but many challenges are common among all strawberry producers. For much for this section, there will be a particular focus on California growers.

Strawberry season is year round in California, with different sub-regions reaching peak harvest at different times of the year. The three main growing regions in California are Watsonville/Salinas, Santa Maria/Oxnard, and Orange County/San Diego.

Common Strawberry Farm Business Model

Strawberry growers sell fresh berries for consumption, freezing, and processing to wholesalers, retailers, and other buyers. The success of the business will depend on the yields achieved, the quality of produce, the price, and the distribution networks they are able to access. Additionally, growers must consider other costs such as labor, fertilizer, and pest management, land costs (including land rent if leasing), as well as the potential for unexpected weather or market conditions.

There is also a growing interest in organic strawberry production in the US, as demand for organic berries grows and organic premiums remain elevated. Today, about 10% of strawberries produced in the US are organic, while about 90% are conventional.

There are a few different channels that growers commonly use to deliver strawberries to market. The most common is to contract the sale, with a price per unit and total quantity determined in advance of harvest. These contracts may be with wholesale produce packers, shippers, or directly with retailers (especially in the case of larger farmers, packing and shipping functions may be carried out by the grower). Alternatively, growers can take (most commonly, excess) fruit to a terminal market, where they are sold based on a shifting and localized market price in bulk. Finally, strawberries can be sold directly to consumers through on-farm sales, U-pick operations, or farm stands, though a very small amount of the total US crop is moved in this fashion.

The yield of the average acre of strawberry can vary significantly based on a number of factors, especially geography. According to USDA NASS, the average yield per acre for strawberry growers in the US in 2021 was 27.02 tons (~54,000 pounds US), though that figure can range dramatically by region, with California growers yielding 650 CWT/acre, and Florida growers averaging 290 CWT/acre.

Strawberry Crop Budget

It is critical to understand that farm economics and budgets vary widely between individual farm operations, and annually as a result of a landscape of factors, from water availability to input costs.

Regionally, costs of production also vary considerably. One estimate put per acre cultural costs in California around $22,000/acre, with an additional $66,000/acre in harvest costs. Many different factors contribute to the cost variations, though notably, in these estimates, labor costs where very similar.

Strawberry Costs

• Check out this interview with Anthony Reade, Head of Berry Production at Betteravia Farms. He discusses what to know about the strawberry season and key challenges strawberry growers face when evaluating technology for adoption. He discusses successes and failures when it comes to harvest automation and harvest aids, why it’s so difficult to automate weed management, runners, and deblossoming tasks, and what opportunities he sees in the realm of water management, data collection for forecasting and identification tasks, and non-chemical pest management and crop protection. Finally, he offers advice for working with growers in the strawberry sector and what he expects from labor-saving technologies.

Interview here:

Accurate berry-picking is essential for optimal yield and minimizing waste. Harvesting robots need to be able to differentiate between ripe and unripe berries based on their color, size, and firmness. Strawberry picking robots, equipped with machine vision software and sensor arrays, can identify ripe berries with a high level of accuracy. However, many existing robots still struggle with accurately assessing the ripeness of strawberries, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage to the fruit.

The ability of equipment to pick strawberries without causing damage to the plant or the fruit itself is critical. The grip strength and precision of the robotic arms need to be finely tuned to handle the sensitive skin of strawberries. Gripping too tightly can lead to bruising or crushing the berries, while gripping too loosely can result in dropping or otherwise damaging the fruit during the picking process.

Strawberry plants can present a complex and dynamic environment for robots. The plants grow close to the ground, making it challenging for robots to navigate and maneuver effectively. Additionally, variations in lighting conditions (due to leaf shadow, different solar positions, etc.), different ripening stages of berries, and foliage density require robots to adapt their picking techniques accordingly. Developing robotic strategies that can handle these complexities is essential for achieving higher accuracy rates and to avoid missing any obscured berries.

Significant advancements have been made towards mechanical, autonomous harvesting in controlled environment setting, namely in greenhouses. However, much less progress has been made in field settings, where the vast amount of strawberries, in the US and around the world, are grown.

Efficiency and speed are critical factors in successful automation. Harvesting strawberries is a time-sensitive task, as the fruit can become overripe in a matter of hours. Therefore, the technology used in robotic systems needs to be fast enough to keep up with the demand and efficiently harvest the strawberries within the optimal timeframe.

Speed can be affected by various factors, including the tool’s movement capabilities, the processing speed of any digital systems, and the overall design and efficiency of the harvesting mechanism. Achieving high-speed automation without compromising accuracy is a significant technical challenge.

Though strawberry picking equipment has the potential to offer significant cost-savings to growers overtime, if the upfront cost of a technology is too high, they simply will not be able to make the investment. As organizations imagine and create autonomous and mechanized harvesting tools for the strawberry industry, grower cost constraints and ability to pay should be carefully considered.

1. Twospotted Spider Mite - The twospotted spider mite damages strawberries through the stippling, scarring, and bronzing of the leaves and calyx. They interrupt photosynthesis and are especially damaging during the first 4 to 5 months following transplanting, significantly reducing berry numbers per plant and overall yield. This pest can be managed by using vigorous cultivars, chilling plants, crop rotation, dust reduction, predator mites and general predators, or alternating chemical miticides.
2. Lygus Bugs - Lygus bugs cause irregularly-shaped, cat-faces strawberries. They damage fruit by puncturing individual seeds, stopping the development of the berry in the area surrounding the feeding site. These pests are less common where the fresh market berry harvest is complete by the end of May (like southern California). These pests can be managed by weed control, vacuuming, biological controls, and chemical treatments.
3. Cyclamen Mite - The cyclamen mite is an important pest of central coast strawberries. When infected, leaves become stunted and crinkled, with a compact leaf mass in the center of the plant. Flowers are fed on, and fruit on infested plants is dwarfed, with seeds standing out over the flesh of the berry. This mite can prevent plants from producing fruit. This pest can be managed through precautions in transportation, crop rotation, dust reduction, general predators, chemicals, and a high rate of water per acre.
4. Aphids - Aphids damage berries in all growing regions, but is less critical in the central coastal region. Aphids leave white skins stuck to fruit, rendering it unmarketable as fresh fruit. Additionally, they transmit several viruses that can cause significant economic losses in perennial strawberries. Aphid control is also critical in strawberry nurseries to reduce virus transmission. These pests can be controlled through plastic covers, dust reduction, parasites and predators, and chemical treatments.
5. Root Weevils - Root Weevil larvae feed on strawberry roots, destroying bark and cortex of larger roots, and causing plants to wilt. They were managed with the use of methyl bromide, but now the chemical is being removed from the marketplace. These pests can be controlled through crop rotation, sticky barriers, weed-host control, soil fumigation, and chemicals.
6. Western Flower Thrips - Thrips damage has increased in recent years, impacting yield and quality. Fruit can become seriously discolored, and thrips can cause stigmas and anthers to turn brown and wither. Fruit can also russet around the cap. This pest can be controlled through weed control, predators, and chemicals only when thrips become very high.
7. Cutworms - Cutworms can cause serious damage to the plant crown, and pronounced holes in fruits. Damage first appears as small, webless perforations in newly expanding crown leaves. Then, stem cutting and hole chewing occurs, more intensely in fields with bug vacuum usage. These pests can be controlled through weed control, birds, baits, and chemicals.
8. Beet Armyworm - Beet armyworm causes the most damage to summer and fall-planted strawberries in southern California. They are foliage feeders, skeletonizing upper or lower leaf surfaces, attacking crowns of young plants, and killing them. They can be controlled through weed control, the Hyposoter exiguae parasite, natural viruses, and chemicals.
9. Whiteflies - Whiteflies rarely build up to damaging numbers, but occasionally do during the late season. They have become more widespread in the last few years, especially the greenhouse whitefly. They suck plant juices and can excrete large amounts of honeydew on which sooty mold grows. These pests can be managed through topping, dust reduction, vacuuming, parasites and predators, and chemicals.

1. Botrytis Fruit Rot - This is the most common and serious disease for strawberries in California. It can affect all parts of the plant, impacting both fruit and nursery production. It can reduce value of harvest by 30-40%, or as much as 50-60% when severe disease occurs, leading to an economic loss up to 100%. Infected berries maintain shape and take on a velvety grey brown coat. Areas rot, berries are infected, and damage in nurseries is significant. It can be controlled through removal of infected material, altering canopy size, barriers/mulches, less fertilizers, and chemical application.
2. Verticillium Wilt - Verticillium wilt is becoming increasingly important in CA strawberries. It’s slow-growing but difficult to eradicate. It is a soil-borne fungus, and loss of methyl bromid/chloropicrin combo is expected to have a significant adverse effect on this disease’s eradication. It causes outer leaves to exhibit marginal browning and eventual collapse. It can be managed through fertilizer limitation, crop rotation, irrigation control, field selection, resistant cultivars, and chemicals.
3. Rhizopus Fruit Rot - This fungus thrives on decaying organic matter, aiding its decomposition. It enters strawberries through wounds, releasing enzymes that degrade tissue, leading to a white mycelium and spore coat in high humidity. High temperatures worsen the issue, causing significant damage. This disease has led to 20-35% production loss. It can be managed through sanitation, post-harvest cooling, varietal effects, and chemicals.
4. Powdery Mildew - Powdery mildew primarily affects coastal and northern nurseries, causing minimal damage inland. Infected flowers yield deformed or no fruit. Severe cases result in mycelium-covered and killed flowers. Infected young fruits become desiccated, leading to "bronzing." Leaves show small white powdery colonies initially on their undersides. It can be managed through resistant cultivars, overhead irrigation, biofungicides such as Ampelomyces quisqualis, and chemicals.
5. Phytophthora Crown Rot & Root Rot - Phytophthora, a soil-borne fungal genus, often leads to stunting. Young strawberry leaves wilt, turn bluish-green. Plant collapse varies based on Phytophthora species. Infected plants display brown crown tissue. Root tissue also affected, causing brown to black rot. It can be controlled through low moisture, resistance/prevention, specific varieties, and chemicals.
6. Common Leaf Spot - Common leaf spot is the primary strawberry leaf disease in California. While its significance has decreased, it can devastate fields if not controlled. The pathogen enters fields via black sclerotia on nursery plants, germinating with autumn rains. Wind-driven rain disperses its spores. It affects all nursery and fruit areas, but is rarer in drier inland valleys and the south. It can be controlled through drip irrigation, leaf removal, clean stock, and chemicals.
7. Anthracnose - Anthracnose impacts flowers and both ripe and unripe fruit. Favorable conditions for its development include warm or cool and wet weather, which lead to fruit and stem rot. Additionally, Anthracnose can induce root and crown rot, with the most severe issues arising in nursery stock. It can be controlled through planting stock, removal of soil, and chemicals.

Further Resources:

• Compendium of Strawberry Diseases (book)
• Pest Management/Strategic Plan
• Pest Management Strategic Plan for Strawberry in the Northeast