{"id":28692,"date":"2024-08-31T19:16:35","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T13:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=28692"},"modified":"2024-09-03T18:16:39","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T12:46:39","slug":"drone-technology-in-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-08-2024\/drone-technology-in-agriculture","title":{"rendered":"Drone Technology in Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Syllabus :GS 3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Farmers in Bhagthala Khurd, Kapurthala, and Amritsar are using drones for spraying pesticides on their maize and moong crops<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    Do you know ?<\/strong>
    – Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are computerized flying vehicles that can operate autonomously or be controlled remotely.
    – Drones use GPS for route planning and navigation.
    – They can be managed through remote operators for precise control.
    – Drones can be equipped with various sensors, including:
    1. Spectral Cameras: For capturing detailed images across different wavelengths.
    2. Thermal Imaging Units: For monitoring temperature variations in crops.
    3. LiDAR Systems: For creating high-resolution maps and 3D models of fields.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Drone Technology in Agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • The Indian drone market for agriculture is in its initial stages but shows promising growth.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • In Punjab, 93 out of 100 drones made available to farmers by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO)<\/strong> under the Centre\u2019s \u2018NAMO Drone Didi\u2019 scheme<\/strong> are already operational.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u00a0These drones cost Rs 16 lakh each, and come equipped with 12-litre water tanks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
      \n
      \"Drone<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

      Benefits\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Health Protection: <\/strong>Drones reduce farmers’ direct exposure to harmful pesticides, which can lead to serious health issues like cancer and kidney ailments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Efficiency<\/strong>: Drones complete spraying tasks in 5-7 minutes per acre, compared to several hours manually.\n
          \n
        • They also ensure uniform application, improving crop yields.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Data from drones helps identify areas needing attention, which can lead to improved crop yields and increased profits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Nano Fertilisers<\/strong>: Drones handle nano fertilisers efficiently, ensuring uniform application of small quantities that are otherwise challenging to spread manually.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Pest Control:<\/strong> Drones provide timely and effective application during pest infestations like pink bollworm, locusts, and whiteflies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Environmental Benefits: <\/strong>Drones can increase nutrient absorption from nano fertilisers to up to 90%, reducing runoff and pollution.\n
            \n
          • Leaf-based application is less polluting than soil-based methods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Water Conservation:<\/strong> Drones cut down water use by up to 90% compared to traditional pesticide application methods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Reduced Costs:<\/strong> Drones minimize the need for manual labor and reduce pesticide and chemical usage, lowering overall costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Additional Uses: <\/strong>Drones are also being used for dropping seed balls (soil and cow dung balls with seeds) for potential reforestation projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Challenges of Adopting Drone Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Job Loss:<\/strong> The use of drones may lead to reduced demand for manual labor, impacting job opportunities for laborers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Lack of Knowledge and Training:<\/strong> Farmers may lack the necessary skills and training to operate drones effectively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Cost<\/strong>: The high cost of drones can be a barrier for many farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Regulatory Barriers:<\/strong> There may be regulatory challenges that complicate the adoption of drones in agriculture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Initiatives:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • The Digital India campaign aims to improve digital infrastructure and provide training.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Organizations like the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are promoting precision agriculture technologies, including drones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Production linked incentive (PLI) scheme:<\/strong> This scheme offers a considerable financial push of Rs. 120 crore (US$ 14.39 million) to incentivise domestic drone manufacturing and reduce import reliance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Sub-mission on agricultural mechanization (SMAM<\/strong>): This initiative provides financial aid to farmers who purchase drones, making this technology more accessible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • The Government of India has launched the Namo Drone Didi Scheme<\/strong> with an aim to empower the women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and to provide access to modern agricultural technology.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Support and Training<\/strong>: Efforts are being made to provide necessary training and support to farmers to overcome barriers to drone adoption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Conclusion and Way Forward\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Drone technology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture by enhancing efficiency, yields, and cost-effectiveness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Drones may revolutionise pesticide or fertiliser application in Punjab fields, which has traditionally been carried out manually either by hired labourers or the farmers themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Therefore It is crucial for farmers and policymakers to collaborate to address challenges and ensure that the benefits of drones are realized while mitigating any concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Source:IE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Farmers in Bhagthala Khurd, Kapurthala, and Amritsar are using drones for spraying pesticides on their maize and moong crops<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28694,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28692\/revisions\/28694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}