In recent decades, drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have seen significant advancements. In the field of agriculture, they have revolutionised farming practices by delivering substantial cost reductions, enhanced operational efficiency, and improved profitability. This rapid development has not gone unnoticed, with agricultural drones garnering considerable academic interest over the years.
In the following sections, we will explore the key applications of drones in agriculture, detailing how they enhance crop management, disaster risk reduction, conservation efforts, and precision farming.
Agricultural Innovation: Precision, Smart, and Digital Farming
Agriculture is crucial for the global food supply, but it faces mounting challenges. As the world’s population grows, so does the pressure on agriculture. This increase in population is expected to lead to a significant rise in both food demand and water usage. Additionally, the growing use of fertilisers and pesticides, combined with more intensive farming practices, may result in serious environmental problems. The limited availability of arable land and a decreasing number of farmers further emphasise the need for innovative and sustainable farming solutions.
In response to these challenges, advanced technologies are being integrated into agriculture. Precision, smart, and digital farming are leading approaches. Read this blog to explore the Triangle of Agricultural Innovation: Precision, Smart, and Digital Farming, and discover what each of these concepts means and how they are addressing the pressing needs of modern agriculture.
Key technologies gaining attention in this field include the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning and deep learning, computing technologies, big data, and blockchain. Additionally, remote sensing technologies, including satellites, crewed aircraft, and agricultural drones, are increasingly recognised for their potential to improve smart and precision agriculture.
Key Benefits and Uses of Agricultural Drones
Drones have evolved significantly and now offer substantial benefits across various fields. Initially developed for military use, their versatility has expanded into numerous civilian applications, including agriculture. The drone market is expected to grow significantly, from 5.42 million units in 2024 to 7.51 million units by 2029.
This surge is driven by advancements in lightweight materials, high-resolution imaging sensors, and AI technologies, which enhance their efficiency and autonomy. In agriculture, these innovations allow drones to play a crucial role in improving precision, monitoring, and sustainability across farming operations. They offer several key benefits in comparison to other remote-sensing technologies:
- High-Resolution Imaging: Drones can capture detailed, high-quality images regardless of weather conditions, such as cloudy days.
- Cost Efficiency: Drones are more affordable than traditional aircraft and are cost-effective to operate, set up, and maintain.
- Rapid Deployment and Data Transfer: Their availability and the speed at which they can transfer data make drones highly efficient.
- Versatile Applications: Beyond agriculture, drones are used in supply chain management, humanitarian efforts, surveying and mapping, cultural heritage documentation, disaster management, and conservation.
In agriculture, drones can be integrated with advanced technologies and onboard sensors to support a wide range of applications. Here are some examples of how agricultural drones are used:
Crop Management
Drones play a crucial role in modern crop management by assisting with a variety of tasks. They can map large agricultural areas quickly and accurately, providing farmers with detailed aerial views of their fields. These high-resolution maps help monitor crop growth, assess plant health, and identify problem areas that may need special attention. Agricultural drones can also assist in irrigation by identifying areas that are under- or over-watered, ensuring optimal water usage, and diagnosing plant diseases or nutrient deficiencies early on, preventing widespread damage.
Disaster Reduction and Early Warning Systems
In the face of potential agricultural disasters, drones serve as an invaluable tool for managing and mitigating risks. By providing real-time data and imagery, agricultural drones can monitor environmental conditions such as soil moisture levels, temperature fluctuations, and weather patterns, which can lead to early identification of potential threats like floods, droughts, or pest outbreaks. This timely information allows farmers and authorities to take preemptive measures, thereby reducing the severity of disasters and safeguarding crops.
Conservation Efforts
Drones have emerged as key players in wildlife and forestry conservation, offering unique capabilities to monitor large and often inaccessible areas. They can track wildlife populations, observe migration patterns, and survey ecosystems with minimal disturbance to the environment. Additionally, agricultural drones are used to monitor deforestation, illegal logging activities, and forest health, helping conservationists implement protective measures and contribute to sustainable forestry management.
Precision Agriculture
Drones revolutionise precision agriculture by enabling farmers to apply water, fertilisers, and pesticides with pinpoint accuracy. Equipped with advanced sensors and imaging technology, they can detect areas in need of specific treatments, allowing for targeted interventions that reduce waste and improve crop yields. This precision helps in managing weeds, pests, and diseases more effectively, as treatments are applied only where needed, minimising environmental impact and maximising the efficiency of agricultural resources.
Utilising UAV Technology in the CrackSense Project
In the CrackSense project, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) play an important role in monitoring and assessing fruit cracking and related yield losses. The project combines proximal and remote sensing technologies to evaluate environmental and management factors influencing fruit cracking.
UAVs equipped with hyper/multispectral sensors, thermal imaging, and 3D-LiDAR collect data on tree health and canopy water, offering insights into cracking conditions. This data is integrated with satellite earth observation to assess yield loss on a regional scale. CrackSense’s multi-sensor approach aims to develop a decision support system (SDSS) to predict cracking and enhance orchard management.
Conclusion
References
Mogili, U. R., & Deepak, B. B. V. L. (2018). Review on application of drone systems in precision agriculture. RoSMa2018 International Conference on Robotics and Smart Manufacturing. Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2018.07.063
Rejeb, A., Abdollahi, A., Rejeb, K., & Treiblmaier, H. (2022). Drones in agriculture: A review and bibliometric analysis. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 198, 107017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2022.107017
