{"id":378,"date":"2019-10-25T22:10:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T22:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/?p=378"},"modified":"2021-12-08T16:10:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T16:10:29","slug":"how-drones-are-impacting-agriculture-and-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/how-drones-are-impacting-agriculture-and-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"Agricultural Drones & The Technological Future of Farming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Drones are making an impact across many industries<\/a> as more stakeholders awaken to their capabilities to perform key tasks and their potential to achieve even more in the near future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those industries happens to be agriculture. Agricultural drones already contribute over $32b worth of services<\/a> to farmers around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this number is only set to grow as more farmers awaken to\nthe challenges of the times and the innovative solutions which farming drones\npresent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another driving factor behind the steady rise of drones in\nthe agricultural sphere is the falling costs of drones and their accessories\nwhich, in turn, have made it easier to recoup the costs of incorporating these\ndrones into business processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, according to prominent mechatronics researcher Jonathan Gill, who is associated with the Harper Adams University in England, it is possible to recover the cost of a high-tech drone within three years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Gill\u2019s estimations were largely based on a study he carried out involving a camera drone that cost \u20ac23,000 that took 3 years to pay back on a 200 hectare piece of farmland. And the payback came through increased yield as a result of more precise nitrogen monitoring \u2014 made possible by the high-tech drone camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But agricultural drones cost far less today than they did a few years ago when these studies were carried out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers could now expect to recoup the costs of their drones even faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the capabilities of these farming drones advancing\nrapidly from year to year, one can only expect faster profits in the\nagricultural sector due to reduced man hours required per hectare and decreased\nfuel use, in addition to higher yield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The loosening of regulations will also play a big part in\nmaintaining the adoption going forward; suggesting that drones seem to have a\nbright future ahead as far as farming is concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Drones Are Being Used in Agriculture<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are several ways in which agricultural drones are\nchanging the way we farm our food. Some of them include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop Spraying<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Farmers in certain parts of the world are using larger-sized drones to apply small quantities of pesticide and fertilizers to forest areas, orchards and crops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regulations have restricted this practise in some areas of the world, but in 2016, farmers in Australia joined their counterparts in the US, Switzerland, New Zealand and China, when they were given the go-ahead to apply pesticides using drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progress has been slow in relieving some of the regulatory barriers\nin other areas due to concerns about the environment and counter-terrorism laws\nthat by and large prevent drones from carrying payloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the many benefits of crop spraying with agricultural\ndrones include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n