Agricultural drone

An agricultural drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle used to help optimize agriculture operations, increase crop production, and monitor crop growth. Sensors and digital imaging capabilities can give farmers a richer picture of their fields. Using an agriculture drone and gathering information from it may prove useful in improving crop yields and farm efficiency.

An agricultural drone by Agridrones that can carry up to 25Kg. Certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel.

Agricultural drones let farmers see their fields from the sky. This bird's-eye view can reveal many issues such as irrigation problems, soil variation, and pest and fungal infestations. Multispectral images show a near-infrared view as well as a visual spectrum view. The combination shows the farmer the differences between healthy and unhealthy plants, a difference not always clearly visible to the naked eye. Thus, these views can assist in assessing crop growth and production.

Additionally, the drone can survey the crops for the farmer periodically to their liking. Weekly, daily, or even hourly, pictures can show the changes in the crops over time, thus showing possible “trouble spots”. Having identified these trouble spots, the farmer can attempt to improve crop management and production.

Legality
Main article: Regulation of unmanned aerial vehicles

As drones entered use in agriculture, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) encouraged farmers to use this new technology to monitor their fields. However, with the unexpected boom of agricultural drones, the FAA quickly retracted such encouragement, pending new rules and regulations. With incidents such as drones crashing into crop dusters, it was vital for the FAA and the AFBF (American Farm Bureau Federation) to agree on regulations that would allow the beneficial use of such drones in a safe and efficient manner.

In 2016, the FAA published the long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations. Commonly referred to as Part 107, the full citation is: Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 14. Aeronautics and Space, Chapter I. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, Subchapter F. AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES, Part 107. SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS. These rules require that commercial drone operators pass a knowledge exam, register their aircraft, and fly in accordance to published restrictions.[1]

Although the American Farm Bureau Federation would like small adjustments to some of the restrictions that have been implemented, they are happy that the agricultural industry can actually use this new machinery without the worry of facing any legal issues.

Many countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Australia have made laws regarding use of drones. The EU is moving towards a common set of drone regulations for all of its members.[2] However, such laws are still nonexistent in many countries around the world making it difficult to determine how to provide legal drone services, and 15 countries have outlawed all drone operations.[3]

Security and ethics
Further information: Unmanned aerial vehicle § Safety

Other companies might start flying their drones in unregulated areas to survey their competition and get to know the condition of crops and agricultural yield. Such a scenario could lead to compromising vital company secrets. People want to know that they are safe and protected, so the burden doesn’t just fall on the farmer, but on many of those around the farmer, too.

The use of agricultural drones has ethical and social implications. One benefit is that they are able to monitor and control the use of pesticides properly. This allows minimizing the environmental impact of pesticides. However, drones don't need access authority to flying overs someone's property at under 400 feet (130 m) altitude. They may have microphones and cameras attached, and the resulting concern for potential privacy violation has caused some opposition towards drones.

Future use

There is a large capacity for growth in the area of agricultural drones. With technology constantly improving, imaging of the crops will need to improve as well. With the data that drones record from the crops the farmers are able to analyze their crops and make educated decisions on how to proceed given the accurate crop information. Software programs for analyzing and correcting crop production have the potential to grow in this market. Farmers will fly a drone over their crops, accurately identify an issue in a specific area, and take the necessary actions to correct the problem.[4] This gives the farmer time to focus on the big picture of production instead of spending time surveying their crops. Additional uses include keeping track of livestock, surveying fences, and monitoring for plant pathogens.[5]

Both the purchase and maintenance costs of modern drones make them too expensive for small farmers in developing nations. Pilot programs in Tanzania are focusing on minimizing those costs, producing agricultural drones simple and rugged enough to be repaired locally.[6]

Prominent drones

According to Business Insider, "agricultural drones are no different than other types of drones. The application of the UAV simply changes to fit the needs of the farmer. There are, however, several drones specifically made for agricultural use."[7]

  • Agras T16 from DJI
  • eBee SQ from senseFly
  • PHX Complete System from Sentera
  • Quantix Mapper from Draganfly
  • Drone4Agro V3[8]

See also

References
  1. "Commercial Operations Branch – Part 107 UAS Operations". www.faa.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  2. "Civil drones (Unmanned aircraft)". EASA. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  3. "No Flying Allowed: The 15 Countries Where Drones Are Banned". UAV Coach. 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  4. "Africa Farming Problems Aided With Drone Technology - Drone Addicts". Drone Addicts. 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  5. Ehrenberg, Rachel (2018). "Eyes in the sky: 5 ways drones will change agriculture". Knowable Magazine. doi:10.1146/knowable-101118-3.
  6. "Innovation in Africa: what next? | Africa Times". africatimes.com. 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  7. Meola, Andrew. "Exploring agricultural drones: The future of farming is precision agriculture, mapping, and spraying". Business Insider.
  8. Drone4agro
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