{"id":130198,"date":"2022-11-13T10:37:11","date_gmt":"2022-11-13T10:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=130198"},"modified":"2022-11-13T10:37:11","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T10:37:11","slug":"how-drones-can-give-wings-to-farmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/business\/how-drones-can-give-wings-to-farmers\/","title":{"rendered":"How drones can give wings to farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"
Use of drones in agriculture can create a $100-billion GDP boost and help millions get better livelihoods.<\/strong><\/p>\n Pranjal Sharma reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n So far, the drones that were considered important for the agriculture sector were nature-made winged-insects — a key component of the bee-based natural pollination cycle.<\/p>\n The new-age drone is a whirring machine with rotors that can help farmers plan and grow and manage their crops.<\/p>\n For the farm sector in India, which has had low levels of mechanisation, the impact of drones can be tremendous.<\/p>\n The use of drones can help it leapfrog to modernisation in the same way that mobile phones helped India overcome its traditional lack of connectivity.<\/p>\n A recent report by World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution emphasises this perspective.<\/p>\n The Using Technology to Improve a Billion Livelihoods report has been prepared in collaboration with the Adani Group.<\/p>\n It says that the use of drones in agriculture can create a $100-billion GDP boost and help millions get better livelihoods.<\/p>\n “Drones are poised to be an effective tool to support farmers reduce their operating costs and efforts, while at the same time optimising their input use.<\/p>\n “There are multiple uses for drones, including surveying, seeding, spraying, pollination, etc. that are at different stages of technology and business model maturity,” the report says.<\/p>\n There are several areas where drones are making their presence felt.<\/p>\n These include seed propagation; pesticide spraying; yield prediction; land records; insurance assessment; and crop monitoring.<\/p>\n Several policies of the government are now promoting the manufacture and use of drones not just in agriculture but other sectors.<\/p>\n A mission on agri mechanisation will support the use of drones, while the Drone Shakti programme will promote drone-as-a-service across the country.<\/p>\n The PLI and export promotion incentives are expected to bring $50 billion of investment in drone production.<\/p>\n Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) under the Indian Council of Agriculture Research have been working in the fields with farmers to educate and propagate the use of drones.<\/p>\n It has run pilot projects in Kerala for pesticide-spraying, with surprisingly positive results.<\/p>\n Another KVK in Tamil Nadu bought a drone for field trials and demonstrated unprecedented efficiency.<\/p>\n A drone with the capacity to carry up to 10 litres of pesticide can cover 30 acres per day.<\/p>\n According to reports, the trials have revealed that the drone could complete spraying pesticides in a few hours, which would take two farm labourers more than a day.<\/p>\n Contrary to perception, the use of drones will not hurt livelihoods in agriculture. Instead it will help farmers overcome the rising problem of labour shortage in agriculture.<\/p>\n Farm labour is becoming scarce and expensive, as most workers prefer other opportunities, including in employment guarantee schemes.<\/p>\n So far, drones have been used in such pilot projects or have been adopted by relatively large farm-holding owners.<\/p>\n The WEF report has recommended that nine key stakeholders need to work in cohesion to ensure that drones are widely deployed in agriculture.<\/p>\n Apart from the central government, these nine stakeholders include KVKs; agriculture universities; state agri departments; village entrepreneurs; local drone makers; panchayats; and financial service providers.<\/p>\n “Smallholding farmers may not have the capacity to purchase drones outright or even operate and service drones if obtained through subsidy schemes,” the WEF report says.<\/p>\n Therefore, the “drones-as-as-service model would be ideal to cater to all classes of farmers, especially smallholding farmers.”<\/p>\n Rural livelihood creation will occur through a value chain where each of India’s 593,615 inhabited villages would be supported by a drone and a supplementary team of trained rural youth to operate the drones, the report reasons.<\/p>\n A comprehensive approach could prove that mechanical drones are as valuable as their natural inspiration.<\/p>\n