Americans like their berries. They consume more than 8 pounds of fresh strawberries a year per person, almost twice as much as 15 years ago, according to 2017 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.

The increased demand is adding to a big problem in the agricultural industry: a labor shortage that is unlikely to improve soon, according to farmers and researchers. It means berries that would otherwise be sold might instead rot in the field.

Technologists...