The Benefits of Using Drones in Agriculture: Facts and Future Trends
More and more companies worldwide utilize drones for their operations—this is especially the case in the agriculture industry.
There are many benefits of drones in agriculture. They are primarily used to provide more accurate data and reduce errors when assessing crop health. They also help in other tasks like seeding and watering.
There are also many trends regarding the current use of drones in agriculture. Overall, the total market share of farming drones is set to increase in the coming years, indicating a rising demand.
Three Key Benefits of Using Drones in Agriculture
With precision agriculture becoming a more widespread practice, more farms are using drones to improve their processes.
Drones are a powerful tool that helps farmers keep up with the rising demand for food. They help save money by allowing farmers to identify problems before they cause significant damage to their crops.
So, precisely what are the benefits of using drones in agriculture? Here’s how they transform farming for many large and small-scale farmers around the globe:
#1. It enables precision farming.
Drones can scan large areas quickly and easily. They can be equipped with spraying equipment that can apply fertilizer and pesticides to specific areas on the farm. As a result, they save farmers plenty of time and money.
#2. It improves crop health monitoring.
Drones can scan large areas faster than people. This makes them perfect for monitoring crop health regularly. Since these technologies have high-resolution cameras, drones can capture detailed images to help farmers detect early signs of stress or plant disease.
#3. It reduces the environmental impact.
One of the less known drones in agriculture facts is that they help in sustainable farming. They help farmers achieve this through precision application, decreasing the runoff risk and pollution.
What are the Current Trends in Drone Agriculture Today?
Even though North America and Europe currently have the biggest markets for farming drones, more countries are investing in them.
Today, more farmers are seeing the benefits of drones in agriculture. Aerial imaging technology is becoming more popular in improving farming processes and monitoring crop health. The resulting increase in yield helps farmers meet the increasing demand for food products.
As a result, there has been a rise in various trends in the agricultural drone sector. Here are some of the biggest trends to keep an eye on:
1. The growing number of use cases
Many analysts have predicted that field mapping will be the primary use of drones in agriculture. Thanks to drones’ capabilities, farmers can analyze soil health and easily predict potential yields.
Pesticide and fertilizer spraying is another application in which drones are seeing more use. Aside from reducing overall costs, they also reduce the risk of exposing workers to dangerous chemicals.
2. The growth of agricultural drones
Thanks to the benefits of drones in agriculture, farmers are deploying more units worldwide. It also reflects the global market share of agricultural drones increasing in recent years.
The rise in global market share can be attributed to the increase in use cases. Drones’ versatility and efficiency make them indispensable tools that help dramatically boost crop yield.
3. Post-pandemic drone farming
Addressing labor concerns regarding farming has many challenges, especially in a post-pandemic environment. Today, drones are increasingly used to maximize efficiency before and during harvest.
For example, drones are being equipped with attachments like fruit-picking technology that allow them to harvest hard fruits. Similar customizable attachments, like robotic arms, are expected to complete development to increase efficiency.
4. Software advancements for improved farming efficiency
One of the many benefits of drones in agriculture is that they enable precision agriculture for farmers worldwide. Thanks to their onboard and customizable attachments, drones make many processes more straightforward.
Currently, these processes mainly involve aerial monitoring. With drones sending vast amounts of data in real-time, onboard software also needs to match the demand for fast processing.
What’s Next for Drones in Agriculture?
The future of drones in agriculture is looking bright, with more farmers, cooperatives, and corporations adopting drone technology. Likewise, hardware and software in farming drones are also becoming more sophisticated.
For example, agricultural drones are not only becoming smaller, but they also come with longer-lasting batteries. Customizable attachments like sprayers and harvesters make them more versatile. Additionally, their software also continues to enable better data collection.
So, what’s next for drones? These are the most significant things to expect when it comes to drones in agriculture:
Increasing farmers’ technical knowledge
Analysts can expect farmers to adopt technical knowledge to take full advantage of the benefits of drones in agriculture. Farmers in many countries can overcome major restraints by addressing the technological gap.
Increasing adoption of aerial data collection tools
Many agriculture experts use drones and drone-related apps for monitoring plant health. Farmers can also be expected to take advantage of these types of software for analyzing plant health in the coming years.
Future software and updates for existing drone software can take better advantage of onboard drone cameras and sensors. These sensors range from multispectral to thermal and LiDAR sensors.
#Flying tractors
Considering the hardware and software aspects of drones, more models are being released as “flying tractors.” While they aren’t expected to completely replace tractors, they can be expected to carry heavier payloads.
Additionally, farmers can take better advantage of the benefits of drones in agriculture by deploying them to spray specific areas. Precise spraying or watering minimizes the chance of runoff and optimizes the use of limited resources.
The Takeaway
Drones are used in various applications throughout different industries, especially in agriculture. Thanks to the many benefits that drones offer, they have quickly become indispensable tools for farmers.
