An agricultural drone is an

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

used in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

operations, mostly in yield optimization and in monitoring crop growth and crop production. Agricultural drones provide information on crop growth stages, crop health, and soil variations. Multispectral sensors are used on agricultural drones to image electromagnetic radiation beyond the visible spectrum, including near-infrared and short-wave infrared.

Legality

As drones entered use in agriculture, the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA) encouraged farmers to use this new technology to monitor their fields. However, with the unexpected boom of agricultural drones, the FAA quickly retracted such encouragement, pending new rules and regulations. With incidents such as drones crashing into

crop duster A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropo ...

s, the FAA and the AFBF (

American Farm Bureau Federation The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), also known as Farm Bureau Insurance and Farm Bureau Inc. but more commonly just the Farm Bureau (FB), is a United States-based insurance company and lobbying group that represents the American agri ...

) began discussions to agree on regulations that would allow the beneficial use of such drones in a safe and efficient manner. In 2016, the FAA published rules for commercial drone operations. These rules require that commercial drone operators pass a knowledge exam, register their aircraft, and fly in accordance with published restrictions. While satisfied overall with the rules, the American Farm Bureau Federation would like small adjustments to some of the restrictions that have been implemented. Many countries, such as

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and Australia, have implemented laws regarding the use of drones. Such laws are still nonexistent in many countries around the world, and 15 countries have outlawed all drone operations. The EU plans to implement a common set of drone regulations for all of its members.

Security and ethics

The use of agricultural drones has ethical and social implications. One benefit is that they are able to monitor and control the use of pesticides properly. This allows minimizing the

environmental impact of pesticides The environmental effects of pesticides describe the broad series of consequences of using pesticides. The unintended consequences of pesticides is one of the main drivers of the negative impact of modern industrial agriculture on the environme ...

. However, drones do not require permission to fly over another person's property at altitudes of under . They may have microphones and cameras attached, and the resulting concern for potential privacy violation has caused some opposition towards drones..One other improvement with using drones is the precision that they operate with. Other companies might start flying their drones in unregulated areas to survey their competition and the condition of their crops and agricultural yield.

Future use

There is a large capacity for growth in the area of agricultural drones. With technology constantly improving, imaging of the crops will need to improve as well. With the data that drones record from the crops the farmers are able to analyze their crops and make educated decisions on how to proceed given the accurate crop information. Software programs for analyzing and correcting crop production have the potential to grow in this market. Farmers will fly a drone over their crops, accurately identify an issue in a specific area, and take the necessary actions to correct the problem. This gives the farmer time to focus on the overall task of production instead of spending time surveying their crops. Additional uses include keeping track of livestock, surveying fences, and monitoring for plant pathogens. Both the purchase and maintenance costs of modern drones make them too expensive for small farms in developing nations. Pilot programs in Tanzania are focusing on minimizing those costs, producing agricultural drones simple and rugged enough to be repaired locally. A research team from

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

has developed an automated drone system that deters pests like crows or

European starlings The common starling or European starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and has glossy black plumage ...

from feeding on grapes and other crops. The birds could be scared off by the drone's noise, but researchers also could include distress calls and predatory bird noises.

References

External links

*
Bring in the drones: flying robots could be a valuable tool for crop surveillance.
(n.d.) The Free Library. (2014). Retrieved Sep 18 2016

(2015, April 28). Farm & Ranch Guide. Retrieved September 16, 2016 * *Hetterick, H., & Reese, M. (2013, May 1). Ohio Ag Net , Ohio's Country Journal. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://ocj.com/2013/05/drones-can-be-positive-and-negative-for-the-ag-industry/ *Penhorwood, J. (2016, June 29). Ohio Ag Net , Ohio's Country Journal. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://ocj.com/2016/06/drones-in-agriculture-ready-for-takeoff-with-new-faa-rules/ *{{cite press release , title=Worldwide Agricultural Drones Market Analysis and Forecasting Report , publisher=M2 , date=10 June 2016 , id={{ProQuest, 1795453515 Agricultural robotics Agricultural revolutions Agricultural technology Emerging technologies Unmanned aerial vehicles

Legality

Security and ethics

Future use

See also

References

External links