Drones in Animal Farming
COUNTING CAMELS IN THE DESERT - DRONES LEAD A PATH TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE BY MAPPING 1,100 KM2 OF FARMLANDS
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his is the story of stacking agriculture against an unfavourable environment- A quest to increase Food Security and reduce Import Dependency by improving agriculture in a hot and dry desert. The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment’s (MoCCaE) goal was to use detailed agricultural data to increase resource efficiency, better direct farmers’ efforts and preserve scarce natural resources. This goal would be
32 Gulf Agriculture | www.gulfagriculture.com
realized by the data supplied by drones. Agriculture is a resourceintensive industry; it places a strain on natural resources and the environment. At the same time, Agriculture is vital to economic growth and often contributes to around 25% of GDP growth in developing countries. In the UAE, we enjoy clear blue skies with very little cloud cover throughout the year, which is great for planes and drones but not so much for plants and
agriculture. The resource intensity combined with the already scarce resources and unfriendly environment increases the need for a Sustainable Agriculture model that maximises resource efficiency, increases farm yields and profitability, enhances the quality of life for farmers, and boosts food security. But gathering relevant and valuable data to build this model upon can be challenging. Especially if
March-April 2021
