Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – A Bird's-Eye View In Agriculture

UAV technologies are becoming more affordable, increasing the feasibility of their use within smaller-scale agricultural ventures.

- David Cutress

Currently, the major focus of UAVs in agriculture is within the arable sector, with functionality in field mapping and crop assessment to improve yields.

There is currently an increasing amount of research being performed on utilising UAVs for livestock management and other precision farming integrations which could benefit farmers in the future.

What are UAVs?

The term unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) covers a range of different remotely or entirely autonomously piloted crafts which are often referred to as drones. UAV refers to both more traditional fixed-wing aircraft, and also single or multiple rotorcraft, such as quadcopters, hexacopters, and octocopters.

When considering a UAV for a particular use, it is important to consider the requirements for each application as specialised UAV are likely more suited to specific roles. For example, fixed-wing crafts can carry heavier payloads and can usually fly further and for longer. Alternatively, rotary-winged crafts have higher manoeuvrability and can be flown directly against the wind more efficiently as opposed to fixed-wing craft.

Whilst initially UAVs were heavily used and developed for scientific and military uses, they are becoming more widespread with roles in areas including: mapping, search and rescue, agriculture, cargo transport, photography/cinematography, and environmental management. There are even proposals to use them in emergency health treatment.

UAVs’ CO2 emissions when used to transport cargo have been assessed and are suggested, given the correct infrastructure, to be lower than current transport methods. As of February 2020, rotary based drones can be purchased with inbuilt high-quality cameras from as little as £369, making them far more accessible to hobbyist flyers. Companies are also working to develop new UAV to circumvent weight limits associated with drone registration restrictions in the UK.