Nairobi | Thomson Reuters Foundation — The United Nations is to test drones equipped with mapping sensors and atomizers to spray pesticides in parts of east Africa battling an invasion of desert locusts that are ravaging crops and exacerbating a hunger crisis. Hundreds of millions of the voracious insects have swept across Ethiopia, Somalia and […] Read more
Tag Archives drones — page 3
Drones to be tested against Africa’s locust swarms
U.N.'s FAO testing drones to detect, spray pests
What’s piloting interest in sprayer drones?
Users say flexibility, lower costs are key factors in growing interest despite technological and regulatory limitations
Drones are now being used for spray applications in countries around the world. And while not commercially commonplace in Canada yet, companies and ag-service providers continue investing time and resources in the technology. Despite ongoing technical issues and unanswered practical questions, some think sprayer drones can bring a variety of agronomic, health, and human resource […] Read more
Researchers work together to find high-tech solutions to deal with hotter climate
Scientists are looking at everything from improved genetics to robots to help farmers maintain productivity as the world heats up
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation – In decades to come, African farmers may pool their money to buy small robot vehicles to weed their fields or drones that can hover to squirt a few drops of pesticide only where needed. Smartphones already allow farmers in remote areas to snap photos of sick plants, upload them […] Read more
What’s new in the world of drone technology?
Machine learning making its way into the drone world
The shock and awe of drones may be less than it was a decade ago, but the agricultural potential of the technology continues to develop. Artificial Intelligence (AI), and a better understanding of scalability give drones and drone operators the ability to gather and usefully interpret field information down to the millimetre level. Why it […] Read more
Deveron predicts continued increase of drones in ag-data use
The Canadian drone company has recently purchased or aligned itself with ag data providers
Canadian agricultural drone service company Deveron UAS hopes recent acquisitions will help it deliver independent data gathering and practical analysis to farmers. Deveron UAS recently acquired Veritas Farm Management, the data analytics arm of South West Ag Partners Inc. David MacMillan, president and chief executive officer for Deveron, says the acquisition, as well as a […] Read more
What to do with a peeping drone
If someone’s invading your airspace it can be trespassing, so call police – but don’t shoot it down
Drones have many practical uses in agriculture, but anecdotes of unknown – and potentially nefarious – unmanned aircraft surveying Ontario farms have prompted questions about the privacy and safety of rural residents and their property. Why it matters: Drones allow farmers to monitor crops, but there are concerns about the autonomous flying machines observing farms […] Read more
Walmart patents hint at future where its drones tend the farms
New York/Chicago | Reuters — Walmart’s patent filings hint that it may see a future where farmers use its drones to not only spot crop problems but selectively apply chemicals or even disperse pollen to bring shoppers the freshest and cheapest food possible. The world’s largest retailer applied for six patents last year on drones […] Read more
Climate Corp. to partner with Canadian drone data firm
In a bid to bring its eye-in-the-sky views of clients’ fields closer to Earth, Monsanto’s Climate Corp. has struck up a partnership with a Canadian drone data provider. Climate on Nov. 15 announced an “official” partnership with Toronto-based Deveron UAS, which operates a fleet of drones serving farm clients across North America, to deliver “advanced” […] Read more
Farmers Edge expands satellite imagery offering
Farmers Edge says it’s making satellite imagery a practical and affordable agronomic tool for farmers through a new strategic partnership with Planet, the company with the largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. “We think this will be game-changing,” Farmers Edge president and CEO Wade Barnes said in an interview Oct. 3. “I think it’s going to […] Read more
Federal rules tightened for recreational drone use
Citing recent “reckless use of drones that is putting the safety of Canadians at risk,” the federal government has set up new temporary rules limiting where and when drones can be flown for the heck of it. Transport Minister Marc Garneau on Thursday announced an interim order with new rules for the recreational operation of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
