Drone technology deficit spawns opportunities in agric

The Government says there are vast opportunities in smart farming technology like drones, which the private sector can tap into to maximise yields.

Smart farming is an emerging concept that refers to managing farms using technologies like Internet of Things (IOT), robotics, drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase the quantity and quality of products while optimizing the human labour required by production.

Elsewhere in the world, countries like India have adopted smart agriculture technology such as drones which have seen their yields improve significantly.

However, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos challenged the private sector to take a leading role in investing in smart agriculture technologies.

He added at present the local private sector has not invested much in such technologies, leaving a huge deficit.

“The farmers have a lot of energy and zeal to boost output, but the private sector is letting us down in terms of smart agriculture technologies.

“There is a huge deficit for drone technology in the country,” he said during a question and answer segment at the Annual Smart Farming Summit hosted by Global Renaissance Investments (GRI) last week.

“But if you look around there are a handful of private sectors that offer drone technology service who are usually fully booked for the next two weeks or so,” he said.

Drones are an increasingly familiar technology finding a wide range of uses ranging from filming to other outdoor events like weddings. On the more controversial side, drones are playing an increasing role in modern warfare or anti-terrorism actions.

In agriculture, drones are also being used in a battle – in that case against yield-robbing pests (insects, weeds, diseases).

Agricultural drones allow farmers to monitor crop and livestock conditions from the air to keep watch for potential problems and help optimise field management.

According to various forecasts, the world’s population will grow by 34 percent by 2050, therefore smart farming will highly become the norm to increase yields. This makes the use of smart farming technologies like drones a necessity.

Deputy Minister Haritatos said the Government, through his Ministry, was playing an active role in creating an enabling environment for the sector, including private sector involvement for financing and provision of equipment.

He added the government was also taking the initiative in drone technology usage by providing training for farmers. So far the Government has acquired about nine drones for internal use.

“Technology is changing, it’s not static so we need more private sector involvement. Government will continue to play its role of creating an enabling environment,” he said.

The world over, drones are being used to assess crop health, predict yields, spray plants, count plants, measure moisture and plant seeds.

This in return reduces costs and time spent on the process. If drones are used to spray crops it limits human contact with fertilisers, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals. Drones are also faster and more efficient than vehicles and airplanes. In some countries, sensors are installed in fields for soil, water, light, humidity, and temperature monitoring. They are usually installed and fixed in drones, robots and weather stations and are monitored and controlled by mobile applications. They provide data that helps farmers to monitor and optimize crops with environmental conditions and challenges making agriculture more profitable to farmers.

-herald