Drones for Agriculture

126 Pages·1942·32.95 MB·English

E-AGRICULTURE IN ACTION:
DRONES FOR AGRICULTURE
Edited by
Gerard Sylvester
Published by
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
and
International Telecommunication Union
Bangkok, 2018
E-agriculture in Action: Drones for Agriculture i
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ii E-agriculture in Action: Drones for Agriculture
Contents
Preface›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› v
Acknowledgements››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› vii
Abbreviations, acronyms and currency codes››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› ix
An eye in the sky for agriculture: the drone revolution›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 1
Case study
A. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in agriculture: regulations and good
practices›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 9
B. Drone technology as a tool for improving agricultural productivity›››››››››››››››››› 27
C. Mapping and monitoring rice areas using remote sensing, crop modelling
and information and communication technology (ICT)›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 33
D. Actionable intelligence from drones to the agricultural industry››››››››››››››››››››››› 45
E. Drones-based sensor platforms››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 57
F. Use of unmanned helicopters for agriculture›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 67
G. Space technology use in crop insurance›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 73
H. Institutionalizing drone mapping applications for disaster risk management
in agriculture››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 79
I. Drones for community monitoring of forests ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 89
J. Internet of things application in agriculture and use of unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs)››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 105
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Preface
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are playing an increasing role in
addressing problems faced by agriculture. The challenges faced by agriculture from climate
change alone are enormous and the need for the farming communities to adapt and become
resilient is key to feeding the world’s growing population. Harnessing the growth and
transformative potential of ICTs provides a tremendous platform not only for addressing
some of these challenges, but also for accelerating efforts to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The FAO-ITU E-agriculture strategy guide (available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5564e.pdf)
is actively being used to assist countries in the successful identification, development
and implementation of sustainable ICT solutions for agriculture. This framework takes
a multi-stakeholder process in developing ICT for agriculture solutions.
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, and connected analytics
has great potential to support and address some of the most pressing problems faced by
agriculture in terms of access to actionable real-time quality data. Goldman Sachs predicts
that the agriculture sector will be the second largest user of drones in the world in the next
five years.1 Sensor networks based on the Internet of things (IoT) are increasingly being
used in the agriculture sector to meet the challenge of harvesting meaningful and actionable
information from the big data generated by these systems.
This publication is the second in the series titled E-agriculture in action (2016), launched
by FAO and ITU, and builds on the previous FAO publications that highlight the use of ICT
for agriculture such as Mobile technologies for agriculture and rural development (2012),
Information and communication technologies for agriculture and rural development (2013)
and Success stories on information and communication technologies for agriculture and
rural development (2015). The ultimate aim is to promote successful, scalable, sustainable
and replicable ICT for agriculture (ICT4Ag) solutions. This publication, E-agriculture in action:
drones for agriculture, is a step in that direction and is based on a willingness to share
knowledge and experiences from various countries and partners.
The chapters in this publication were written by the respective authors and are entirely
their own views. We have tried to maintain the original narrative style of each contributor.
FAO and ITU do not promote or endorse any of the statements, comments and products
mentioned in the chapters. Thus, this is an effort to share knowledge on the use of
successful ICTs for agriculture initiatives and we expect that this compilation of case studies
will be read in that spirit.
1www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinlcing/technology_driving_innovation/drones/
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Acknowledgements
FAO and ITU are grateful to all who contributed to this publication. The importance of sharing
knowledge on the use of successful innovations cannot be overstated.
The support provided by Kundhavi Kadiresan, Assistant Director General and Regional
Representative, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and Ioane Koroivuki, Regional
Director, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific are acknowledged.
We extend our special thanks to the authors and their organizations:
Giacomo Rambaldi and David Guerin from Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural
Cooperation (CTA), Adam Wisniewski (PwC), Nasreen Islam Khan, International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), James Veale (SAP), Srinivasu P and Gopi Kandaswamy from
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Masatoshi Endo (Yamaha Motors), Shibendu S. Ray
and Sunil K. Dubey, Government of India, Roberto Sandoval from FAO Myanmar,
Maricarmen Ruiz Jaen, Lucio Santos and Alice Van der Elstraeten from FAO Panama,
Wu Yin, Jinna Zhang, Lu Ma and Yanping Yu from Shenzhen Wissea Electronic Science
& Technology Co., Ltd. and Ming Xiao from the School of Automation, Guangdong
University of Technology. Thanks to Lia Reich (PrecisionHawk), Patrick Ribeiro
(OpenForests), Jessica Sader (senseFly) for the photographs.
We greatly appreciate the support and guidance of colleagues from FAO, ITU and
Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI).
We sincerely appreciate the service provided by Iljas Baker in reviewing the language and
adapting the articles to adhere to style guidelines.
The Informal Experts Group for E-agriculture (IEG4E-ag) (see https://dgroups.org/fao/
e-agriculture/ieg4e-ag/) also provided valuable inputs to this publication.
The case studies were documented using an adaptation of the Good Practice Template
from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which is available
at www.fao.org/3/a-as547e.pdf
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