USE
OF DRONE TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR – AGRICULTURE
News:
Self-trained farmer
imparts basics of UAVs to agricultural scientists
What's
in the news?
●
With unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or
drones emerging as a powerful tool in the agricultural sector, a farmer in
Wayanad has trained himself in the technology for use in his plantation as well
as to train officials of various government agencies.
Kisan
Drones:
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It will have an unmanned tank filled with insecticides and nutrients.
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The drones are expected to have a high
capacity of 5 to 10kg.
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The drone will spray the same amount of
pesticide on about one acre of land in just 15 minutes.
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The drones have been manufactured by
Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace, a home-grown start-up.
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They will also be used to carry vegetables, fruits, fish, etc to
the markets from the farms.
○
These items will be supplied directly to
the market with minimal damage, consuming lesser time, resulting in more
profits to farmers and fishermen.
Significance
of Drone Technology in Agriculture Sector:
●
Agriculture drones efficiently study
external factors like weather, soil
conditions, and temperature and empowers the farmer to make mindful choices
accordingly.
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The gained data helps regulate crop health, crop treatment, crop scouting, irrigation,
and carry out field soil analysis and crop damage assessments.
●
The drone survey helps boost crop yields
and minimize time and expenses.
Applications
of Drone in Agriculture:
1.
Mapping/Surveying:
●
The process of using a drone to map or
survey crops is a relatively efficient way to gather exact information in a
precise manner.
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It can be used for better land use planning depending upon the terrain of the area,
which will increase productivity and efficiency of agriculture.
2.
Crop Dusting/Spraying:
●
Use of drones in spraying and dusting
crops helps reduce costs and potential
pesticide exposure to workers who would have needed to spray those crops
manually.
3.
Irrigation Monitoring:
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Drone survey helps improve water
efficiency and disclose potential pooling/leaks in irrigation by providing
irrigation monitoring yields.
4.
Crop Health Monitoring and Surveillance:
●
Agriculture drones can see which plants
reflect different amounts of green light and Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)
light. This data helps produce
multispectral images to track crop health.
5.
Field Soil Analysis:
●
The drone survey allows seizing soil data,
field soil analysis, irrigation, and nitrogen-level management which permits
farmers to analyse their soil conditions thoroughly.
6.
Locusts Attacks:
●
The drones can be used for spraying of
insecticides in the areas affected by locusts. Recently, the Maharashtra Government
decided to use drones to spray insecticides on swarms of locusts.
7.
Helps in Digitalisation of Land Records:
●
It can be used for mapping of farm lands
to establish ownership that will reduce
ownership dispute and enable access to credit.
8.
Transportation of food produce:
●
Farmers can use drones to transport their
produce like fruits, vegetables and
flowers to markets in a minimal time, hence boosting their income.
9.
Aid new-age farming:
●
Kisan drones will provide modern farming
facilities in the 21st century, and will prove to be a milestone in the
development of the drone sector in India.
10.
Greater safety of farmers:
●
It is safer and more convenient for
farmers to use drones to spray pesticides in terrains challenging to reach,
infected areas, taller crops, and power lines.
●
It also helps farmers prevent spraying the
crops, which leads to less pollution and
chemicals in the soil.
11.
Useful for Insurance claims:
●
Farmers use the data captured through
drones to claim crop insurance in case of any damages. They even calculate
risks/losses associated with the land while being insured.
●
Agricultural insurance sectors use Agri-drones
for efficient and trustworthy data. They capture the damages that have occurred
for the right estimation of monetary payback to the farmers.
Challenges:
1.
Knowledge and Skill:
●
An average farmer cannot analyse drone
functioning as it requires specialized skills and knowledge to translate it to
any useful information.
2.
Flight Time and Range:
●
Due to relatively higher payloads, the
flight duration of drones used in agriculture is short which results in limited
coverage of land.
3.
High Cost:
●
Mostly, agricultural drones are costlier
as it includes the cost of imaging sensors, software, hardware and tools.
4.
National Laws:
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Multiple laws governing drone use in India
creates ambiguity besides affecting the production and use of drones.
●
The requirement of obtaining an unmanned
aircraft operator’s permit (UAOP) for piloting drones, Permission for each
flight through Online Digital Sky platform for No Permission No Take off (NPNT)
compliance limits use of drones in agriculture.
5.
Connectivity:
●
Farmers intending to use drones have to
invest in connectivity or buy a drone with local data storing capability in a
format that can be transferred and processed later.
6.
Weather Dependent:
●
Drones are weather dependent. Under windy
or rainy conditions, flying drones is not easy, unlike traditional aircrafts.
7.
Misuse:
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There is a chance of misuse to infringe
the privacy of people and illegal transfer of information.
Government
Initiatives:
1.
Kisan drones:
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The Union Budget 2022-23 announced a
special push for Kisan (farmer) drones.
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The budget also aimed to create
public-private partnerships for high-tech farm services.
2. Government brought out
Drone rules 2021 to regulate the use
and operation of Drones in India.
3. Government issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for
application of pesticides, and other inputs.
4. The guidelines of Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization
(SMAM) have been amended.
5. To provide a grant up to 100% of the cost of agriculture
drone or Rs.10 lakhs, whichever is less.
6. Graduates establishing
Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) will be
eligible for subsidy up to 50% of the cost of drone and associated equipment up
to Rs 5 lakhs.
7. Drone purchase by
existing Custom Hiring Centers which are set up by Cooperative Society of
Farmers, FPO and Rural entrepreneurs, 40% of the basic cost of drone and its
attachments or Rs. 4 lakhs, whichever less would be available as financial
assistance.
8. The FPOs would be eligible to receive a
subsidy of 75% of the cost of the drone if used only for demonstration
purposes.
9. Government also launched
the PLI scheme for drone and drone
components, which will promote investment in drone manufacturing and creation
better drone ecosystem in India.
WAY
FORWARD:
●
Encourage Start-ups to establish local drone manufacturing/assembling units
for agriculture use.
●
Develop a comprehensive legal and policy
framework in the form of Civil Aviation
Requirements (CAR 3.0) to encourage applications of drones in agriculture.
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Expedite Digital sky platform with its revision for pragmatic and practical
implementation for enhanced drone usage.
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Capacity
development for flying drones is required as it is a
skill-based operation.
●
Develop an enabling ecosystem with a single-window concept for entrepreneurs.
●
Encourage
Research in drone applications to study various operating
parameters in agriculture.