Agricultural drones have become a vital technology in modern farming by allowing producers to capture high-resolution images and collect vital data from a variety of embedded sensors.
These tools grant the user unparalleled visibility into the health of their crops and allow for activities such as targeted spraying with unprecedented precision.
Before farmers can unlock the full potential of their investment, however, there are several challenges that both current and prospective users may face.
Below, we’ll dive into the most common challenges of adopting agriculture drones – and how to solve them.
Challenge 1: The upfront cost is genuinely high
What’s the biggest fear for most farmers? Cost! Of course, there are always startups trying to peddle new agricultural drone technology to venture capitalists, claiming they are going to revolutionize farming.
And they may do it, but for the small or mid-scale farmer, the big challenge to entering into aerial agriculture will be the cost of the drone and the associated software and accessories.
Solution:
What may initially seem expensive to purchase can actually provide a good return on investment through long-term savings on labour, pesticides and crop loss. Many providers now offer leasing options or a service-based model to help spread the financial cost for farmers.
For farmers, Service Drones offers a cost-effective drone solution to maximise return on investment for small-scale farmers & operations.
Challenge 2: Learning to operate them takes more time than expected
The easy part is getting the drone to lift off the ground. The hard part is actually flying it straight and consistently spraying down fields, hills, and valleys with the right amount of pressure on the nozzle, flying at the right altitude and for the right amount of time and having the drone have enough battery life. All of these things take time and skill to master and there is only little time to hone in those skills during the growing season.
That is some interesting data. There is a lot of information gained from those multispectral cameras. You can create a vegetation index map or heat map but you are lacking the knowledge of how to use that info. It doesn’t translate well to aerial surveys.
Solution:
Operators will visually analyze the crop and determine if additional service is needed. With professional drone services in Portugal, you don’t need to have a licensed remote pilot and data analyst standing by to know what to do with the information obtained with drone technology.
We have knowledgeable people who know the equipment and more importantly, analyze the data to give clear and useful insights. Farmers no longer have to become tech savvy to take advantage of this new technology.
Challenge 3: Drone regulations are complicated and keep shifting
Drones regulations in Portugal have evolved, though they are somewhat confusing and need to be understood while dealing with drone registrations, permits, certifications & restricted and prohibited airspace.
All of this can be very frustrating for farmers who barely have the time and patience to understand all this while they struggle to manage their time for using drones on their farms.
Solution:
One of the biggest benefits is having someone take that pressure off of you to make sure you’re legal compliant. Service Drones handles all laws and regulations with respect to drone usage. Our operators are certified, and we have the necessary permits to fly in all areas.
Why the Right Partner Makes All the Difference?
Agriculture drones are one of the newest members of the long and diverse family of agriculture and the use of drones in this sector is growing exponentially.
Although some farmers may be resistant to the culture change that comes with incorporating drones into their everyday operations, we are more than happy to walk alongside you.
We can assess your operation and see where drones could be integrated into your workflow to help you become a “Smarter Farmer”.
Choosing the right partner is very important. Therefore, agricultural fertilization with drones in Portugal can help farmers use this new technology with confidence and to get a better result.
We offer our customers a turnkey service, starting with training service all the way through to deployment of drones for your farmland monitoring and even after-sales service support. Our service ensures farmers don’t feel overwhelmed when using drones for their farmland monitoring.
The summary
There are some hurdles you will encounter when starting drone agriculture, but they are easily maneuvered with a little direction. The payoff is definitely worth a small jump.
In Portugal, drone technology has finally made it’s way to the future of agriculture. Take a good look around and you’ll see that the days of drones in commercial farming have arrived. And they are here to stay.
By implementing drone technology into your business the earlier the better, we as farmers can benefit from a more efficient operation that focuses on saving money and increasing crop yield.
Service Drones helps farmers become more productive and work smarter. Here, with advanced technology and expert support, we make farm management easier and more efficient. Our drone spraying in Portugal helps farmers manage crops better and get more effective results.
So if you’re thinking about taking that leap. The best decision you can make is to choose a partner who has knowledge in both technology and agriculture.
Because when innovation is met with new support, success is unavoidable.
