India is primarily an agrarian economy. India’s economy is majorly dependent on agricultural produce and that also constitutes a major portion of export. Also, for the majority of rural households, agriculture is the chief source of income. For the farmers, crop failures due to adverse weather conditions and uncontrolled pest issues are devastating events that can set them back years, or in worse cases create spirals of unmanageable debt. 

Fortunately, there is hope that crop failure could be detected in advance and necessary steps could be taken. Innovative solutions like agricultural drones can help tackle the problems ailing the agricultural sector in India. Although the rural sector is still far behind in technological advancement, agricultural drones can now empower the farmer to adapt to specific environments and make mindful choices accordingly. The use of drones in almost every sector of the economy is growing fast, but drone usage in the agricultural industry is booming.

What are drones?

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), also known as drones, are aircraft either controlled by ‘pilots’ from the ground or increasingly, autonomously following a pre-programmed mission.  While there are dozens of different types of drones, they basically fall into two categories: those that are used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes and those that are armed with missiles and bombs.

We are living, increasingly, in a drone-saturated world. In recent years, drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have proliferated rapidly around the globe in both military and civilian spheres. Today, at least 90 nations and non-state groups are known to operate drones, including over 10 countries with armed drones. An additional 20 countries have armed drone programs in development. 

UAV drones come in a wide variety of sizes, with the largest being mostly used for military purposes such as the Predator drone. The next in size are unmanned aircraft, which have fixed wings and require short runways.  These are generally used to cover large sections of land, working in areas such as geographical surveying or to combat wildlife poaching.

Drones and the Indian agriculture industry

Drones are unscrewed aerial vehicles (also known as UAVs), which are used for surveillance in various industries. Till now, they were primarily used by companies working in industrial sectors such as mining and construction, army, and hobbyists.

But now, drone technology is increasingly available for use in various sectors of agriculture as well. Though the technology is still nascent in India, many companies are trying so that it is easily available to Indian farmers and ready to be used to increase efficiency in agricultural production.

In a step aimed at making drones more available to farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has also announced revised guidelines for the “Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization” (SMAM) scheme. The funding guidelines will make this technology affordable by assisting in purchase, hiring and demonstration of agriculture drones. The financial aids and grants shall be applicable till 31st march 2023. SMAM scheme was launched in 2014-2015 with the objectives of expanding farm mechanizations access to small and marginal farmers and to the regions and difficult areas where farm power availability is low.