Agricultural Drones: Are There Any Benefits?

Modern technology has made farming invariably easier- and with precision farming, we have just that. The usage of drones has been quite a game changer and drones are now also being dubbed as the new-age tractors. All of this comes under the broad title of precision agriculture- which can improve agricultural yield using scientific methods of farming.

With the help of precision agriculture, farmers can better control their crops' production, quality, and yield while ensuring the effectiveness of inputs like fertilizer and water. Farmers can use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to continuously monitor crop and animal conditions from the air in order to spot issues that would not be apparent during spot checks at ground level.

Other functions that drones perform that typically would not be performed in an agricultural farm are as follows:

Mapping/Surveying:

New crop mapping and surveying drone models. With the help of the flight planning software that is included into these UAVs, the user can draw a circle around the region that needs to be covered. Using its built-in camera and (Global Positioning System) GPS to determine where to snap a photo from, the UAV automatically captures pictures as it flies.

Cropdusting/Spraying: The drones can spray fields more precisely than a regular tractor, which lowers expenses and the risk of workers spraying the crops being exposed to pesticides. Normally, it would typically involve a skilled personnel taking over the spraying. But this poses a risk to the person involved as it can cause different types of diseases and problems in the human body. The improved efficiency offered by drones helps farmers with productivity.

It helps in covering a large area in lesser amount of time. The overhead drones can identify issues early on and help in the identification and treatment before it leads to huge damage over a large area. Drones can record data and photographs with high resolution, giving farmers a close-up view of their crops.

This can aid in locating problem areas and guarantee that solutions are focused and successful. Drones come with their share of problems as well. Following are some of the problems that may arise were India to adopt drones full-time.

Fear of job loss: Since fewer workers will be required to undertake manual labour on farms as a result of the use of drone technology, many farmers are worried that this will result in job losses.

Lack of expertise and training: It's possible that farmers lack the skills or training required to use drones efficiently. Their inability to operate the technology confidently may make it challenging for them to adopt it.

Price: Because drones can be pricey, many farmers might not have the money to invest in this technology.

Regulatory obstacles: Farmers may find it challenging to use this technology if there are legal obstacles.