Agriculture drones are changing the farming industry. But they’re also changing the environment for the better. Over the years, as drone technology has advanced and improved, drones have been used across the globe to improve how we think about environmental needs and farming methods.
How Agriculture Drones Help the Planet
Farming drones can be used in several useful ways to help the environment and the planet. Drones help reduce carbon emissions, increase pesticide utilization rate – which decreases pesticide runoff and usage – and help create safer farmland procedures. Across the planet, drones have also been used to develop new environmental protection solutions, as well as increase farmland management precision.
Reduced Carbon Emissions
Traditional farming practices produce tonnes of emissions. Replacing these machines with drones can reduce carbon emissions by nearly 52 kg CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per hectare.
In 2021, DJI pilots have covered a total of 66.7 million hectares of farmland. This means that drones saved approximately 3.43 million tonnes of carbon emissions. 3.43 million tonnes of carbon emissions equals the carbon from 161 million trees and carbon emissions from 1.27 million vehicles.
Increase Pesticide Utilization Rate
Compared to traditional back-carried spraying methods for pesticides, drone spraying offers a better utilization rate of up to 10%. With a better utilization rate, you can save pesticides from going to waste.
This also means less pesticide waste, reducing the negative impacts on the environment and positively influencing the farmland and surrounding areas.
Make Farmland Management Safer
Keeping farmers and other farming personnel safe is a vital component of farmland management. Drone usage in agricultural operations increases safety by protecting farm workers from chemical hazards. This means a safer and healthier work environment for everyone.
Offering New Environmental Protection Solutions
Drones offer many new and compelling environmental protection solutions. For regreening operations after mining or oilfield operations, drones have been used to help restore vegetation via seeding. With the swiftness of drones, these regreening operations can be completed quickly and easily.
Increase Farmland Management Precision
Using multispectral drones to survey crops and vegetation growth in different areas can help change how you approach your farm. Data from multispectral drones generates treatment maps for spraying plant promoters in the right areas and in the right amounts.
The same data can be used to spray defoliants to exactly where they are needed and in more precise quantities. When applied in this manner, defoliants are used more appropriately and safely. Overall, this decreases the negative effects on the environment.
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Contact us today to learn more about how drones can change your industry and day-to-day processes. Our capable team will work with you to ensure your questions are answered and you receive the right advice for any job. To guarantee this, we offer free consultations from our team of professionals to make sure you get precise answers to all your questions.