The Sunday Mail
Enacy Mapakame
The GOVERNMENT says there are vast opportunities in smart farming technologies such as drones, which the private sector can tap into to maximise national yields.
Smart farming is an emerging concept that refers to the management of farms using technologies like the internet, robotics, drones and artificial intelligence to improve output and product quality while optimising the human labour required in the production process.
Elsewhere in the world, countries like India have adopted use of drones, among other smart agriculture technologies, which has seen their yields improve significantly.
However, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos challenged the private sector to take a leading role in investing in smart agriculture technologies.
He added, at present, the local private sector has not invested much in such technologies, leaving a huge deficit.
“The farmers have a lot of energy and zeal to boost output, but the private sector is letting us down in terms of smart agriculture technologies. There is a huge deficit for drone technology in the country,” he said during a question-and-answer segment at the Annual Smart Farming Summit hosted by Global Renaissance Investments last week.
“But if you look around, there are a handful of private sector players that offer drone technology services, who are usually fully booked for the next two weeks or so,” he said.
Drones are an increasingly familiar technology finding a wide range of uses that include filming and security surveillance.
On the more controversial side, drones are playing an increasing role in modern warfare or anti-terrorism actions.
In agriculture, drones are also being used in the war on yield-robbing pests, weeds and diseases. Agricultural drones allow farmers to monitor crop and livestock conditions from the air to check for potential problems and help optimise field management.
According to various forecasts, the world’s population will grow by 34 percent by 2050. Smart farming will, therefore, become highly the norm in order to increase yields. This makes the use of smart farming technologies like drones a necessity.
Deputy Minister Haritatos said the Government, through the ministry, was playing an active role in creating an enabling environment for the sector, including private sector involvement for financing and provision of equipment.
He added the Government was also taking initiative in drone technology usage by providing training for farmers. So far, the Government has acquired about nine drones for internal use.
“Technology is changing. It’s not something that is static, so we need more private sector involvement. Government will continue to play its role of creating an enabling environment,” he said.
The world over, drones are being used to assess crop health, predict yields, spray plants, count plants, measure moisture and plant seeds.
This, in return, reduces costs and time spent on the process. If drones are used to spray crops, it limits human contact with fertilisers, pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
Drones are also faster and more efficient than vehicles and airplanes.
In some countries, sensors are installed in fields for soil, water, light, humidity and temperature monitoring. They are usually installed on drones, robots and weather stations, and are monitored and controlled through mobile applications. They provide data that helps farmers to optimise crop production.
