Farmers open to using drones for efficient planting

The buzzword in most science and technology conferences in the Philippines is Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 is essentially driving our industries to be faster, more efficient and smarter through the processing of data and its related infrastructures. Unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs or drones, as most people call them, serve as one of the pillars of Industry 4.0 in many industries and the Philippines is still considered a laggard compared to its neighboring states when it comes to its use in the agricultural industry.

My dissertation about drones in Philippine farms has given me several realizations about the status of technology adoption in agriculture. One of which is about the readiness of our agricultural industry to Industry 4.0. As I have interviewed farmers and other major stakeholders in the country when it comes to drones in farming, they said that most farmers are not financially capable of acquiring the technology for their adoption. Another talking point was that the regulations regarding its use in farming are plagued with a lot of paperwork and can be burdensome.

The cost of acquiring drones for farms is one of the primary issues raised by agriculture stakeholders. Most farmers even noted that acquiring this technology might drag them further to debt. They see government support as an enabler for them to acquire this technology through direct financial support to acquire the platform and the accessories as well as the training for the use of technology in farming. However, acquisition of technology is not a guarantee of success in the agricultural industry. The cost for the maintenance of the drone during its operation is crucial for its effective implementation in farms. In fact, most farmers felt some anxiousness in the event that drones crashed in the field and whether the parts for repair are readily available.

The government is currently instituting voucher programs for farmers to avail drone services. Instead of the farmers acquiring entirely the risks associated with the whole operation of drones, availing drone services enabled a shared risk framework among the stakeholders in the agricultural industry. Some drone operators are also insuring their drones, knowing that the maintenance of the platform is one of the major costs of its use. Connecting with a financial institution also enables drone operators to become more competitive through access to funds for acquiring state-of-the-art payloads and platforms catering to the ever-evolving needs of the farming industry.

Farmers are concerned about the amount of paperwork they have to comply with to fly their drones in their area. Aside from certification of the drone operator as well as the platform, the government requires clearances for the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which are to be boarded in the drone. Not to mention the other documents to operate the drone for business operations which are filed separately before different government agencies. There is a need to streamline the operations and regulations in the use of drones in farming to encourage more farmers to engage with business.

There is a notion that farmers are not adept to the latest trends when it comes to technology in farming and drones for agriculture. It is noteworthy that most farmers are very familiar with the drones and their various applications in farms. Most of them said that they watched it on various video streaming platforms and were hopeful that they would acquire one in the future. Indeed, technologies very close to UAV such as cellphones and the internet enabled greater familiarity and positive perceptions about the use of drones in farming. The different video streaming platforms can also be a springboard in the promotion of Industry 4.0 in our agricultural ecosystem.

Most of the farmers that I interviewed said that they are willing to use technology in farming, particularly drones for Agrosecurity, i.e. farm perimeter security and fertilizer and pesticides applications. Farmers also mentioned that the use of drones in farming could offset problems associated with the aging population of farmers and fewer people engaging in agriculture. The use of drones and other newer technologies in agriculture could also encourage younger generations to engage in farming through the use of technology.

The farmers expressed their enthusiasm for learning about drones in farming through training and workshops. It is then a matter of the government enabling the greater use of drones in farming through financial, legal and educational support through memorandum circulars, policies and guidelines about the acquisition, utilization and end of life of drones. A platform to enable Industry 4.0 in Philippine Agriculture through drones is available. It is now a matter of having a streamlined infrastructure to enable the agriculture ecosystem to implement Industry 4.0 technologies in farms.

 Joefreim "Jof" Armada Delicano is an Aeronautical Engineering faculty member under the Department of Mechanical Engineering at De La Salle University, Manila. An active researcher, he has published numerous scholarly articles across aeronautical engineering education, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and aerospace materials science and engineering, earning over 80 citations for his contributions to the field.