Aidan Dauk – Dec 22, 2024
With the world population continuously growing, increasing pressure is placed on agricultural producers to generate more food than ever before. One way that farmers are keeping up with the demand is by implementing the newest technology to maximize efficiency, output, and ultimately profits. Specifically, unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, have quickly become necessities to some farms, and are helpful tools for a positive harvest while also becoming a rapidly growing industry themselves. As of 2022, the agricultural drone market reached $1.1 billion, and by 2032 many project that number will increase to $7.19 billion.
Agricultural drones are essentially flying, remote controlled robots designed to assist farmers with various tasks. For example, many decisions on a farm are influenced by data. One of the major applications of agricultural drones is to enhance this collection of data providing it quickly and accurately.
From the low-flying drones’ cameras and sensors, farmers receive easily accessible information on crop health, plant development, field conditions, and field mapping. The precise data provided by drones helps farmers get the most out of each field and ultimately maximize production and profits while minimizing waste and promoting sustainability. Furthermore, drones can be used to spray chemicals onto fields, replacing larger manned aircrafts or ground rigs, and can recognize and pinpoint specific areas where fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide application is necessary.
In the past, the majority of spraying in the United States has been done using ground sprayers and piloted aircrafts because of the large fields and flat terrain experienced across the country. However, in recent years, many farmers are turning to unmanned drones to do the spraying. According to a company providing spray drone services, acres sprayed with drones were just 1,000 in 2019, and exploded to around 200,000 acres in 2023.
The use of agricultural drones, however, is not limited to strictly crop production. They can also be utilized to monitor and count livestock, easily identify specific individuals and spot sick animals, keep up with farm maintenance by observing buildings and fences that may need repairs, feed fish and shrimp or locate large schools of fish for harvesting, or even keep track of forest health.
Despite the already impressive features and uses for agricultural drones, innovations are continuing to be made around the globe in efforts to further improve drones. Japanese developers are working currently to develop drones that can pollinate flowers like bees and can fit in the palm of your hand. Some drones are also starting to be used to plant trees in an effort to assist in reforestation.
Simultaneously, though small, unmanned drone usage in other countries (especially east Asia) was established earlier, it is also continuing to rise there. Both Japan and Korea commonly utilized single rotor drones with remote controls for years. In Japan, drones have been widely used with around 2,800 unmanned helicopters registered in March of 2016, which helped to spray a third of their rice fields. Both of these countries are now beginning to involve use of multi-rotor spray drones, continuing to evolve technology. China has historically used the most small multi-rotor drones in the world, and in 2021 they sprayed 153 million acres, which was a massive jump from 2020 during which they sprayed 64 million.
As far as manufacturing these agricultural drones that are in increasing demand, many of the top companies derive from common manufacturing giants. A few of these being DJI, TopXGun, Eagle Brother, and XAG all from China, Garuda Aerospace and IO TechWorld from India, and Xmobots out of Brazil. The largest of these drone companies is DJI, which claimed 70–80 percent of the market share as of 2024, totally dominating the market.
Their consistency in innovation-leading technology and high quality products with various low cost options makes DJI a heavy favorite amongst many drone users; however, with the influx of airborne DJI drones also came questions of the true motives of the company. Many U.S. lawmakers have been concerned about the possible security risks associated with the Chinese company’s drones operating in the United States and the possibility of data sharing with the Chinese military.
(Erik Mclean/Pexels)
“the unfounded accusations against our agricultural drone technology are putting U.S. farmers at risk by potentially depriving them of the tremendous benefits that DJI spray drones offer.” — response email from DJI
As a result of these concerns, in September, a Countering CCP Drones Act was passed through the House of Representatives. This Act essentially would prevent new models of DJI drones from running on American communication networks. At this point, the Act moved to the senate where it could be altered or passed and enforced in 2025 which would drastically affect drone usage and new technology in the United States.
Drone implementation around the world and the United States continues to increase and remains an inevitable future aspect of many farms. Agricultural drones’ benefits are numerous, making production efficient and cost effective for global farmers. Looking ahead, possibilities continue to be explored regarding drone usage, but many are still concerned with the unmanned aircrafts and their possible risks to national security.