Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - In conditions of a significant increase in the shortage of water resources, accelerated degradation of land resources, the spread of pests and plant diseases, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are becoming increasingly popular tools in the field of agriculture.

If in 2016 the market for drones for agriculture was only US$864 million, then by 2022 its volume increased 5 times and reached US$4.2 billion. By early 2023, agriculture accounted for almost 11% of the drone market. It is predicted that its average annual growth will be 20% by 2030.

Currently, the level of technical equipment in agriculture in Uzbekistan in cotton and grain growing is 90%; in vegetable and melon growing - 45%; in livestock farming - 48%; in horticulture and viticulture - 36%. The country has more than 267 thousand units of agricultural machinery and equipment for carrying out agricultural work. Of these, 38% are morally and physically outdated, having been in operation for more than 15 years. At the same time, drones are practically not used for agricultural purposes.

Why is the demand for drones increasing?

According to experts, the key factors in the growing demand for drones in agriculture include:

significant reduction in costs for mineral fertilizers and pest and disease control when using them;

the possibility of saving water resources;

increasing labor productivity and increasing productivity.

First, drones can collect data on the condition of crop areas through multispectral imaging. This makes it possible to identify the real need for fertilizers, cases of pest infestation, as well as bactericidal and viral plant diseases.

For information: multispectral photography simultaneously forms several images of the same territory in different zones of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. The corresponding software, through artificial intelligence and machine learning, provides the necessary data on the condition of the areas.

Thus, drones identify areas infested with pests and overgrown with weeds with 95% accuracy, which allows farmers to treat only targeted parts of crops. According to studies, traditional methods use 30% more pesticides and fertilizers than normal.

According to FAO, as a result of the use of drones, farmers’ costs for pesticides and fertilizers are reduced by up to 40%. In India, savings amounted to 60%-70%.

Secondly, drones manage water resources more accurately by identifying water shortages and surpluses in a timely manner. They analyze the condition of crops and soil, assess moisture levels and air temperatures, and provide accurate calculations of the required volume of water for plants.

In particular, the use of drones in Qatar has led to a 30% reduction in water use in agriculture. In Mozambique, water use efficiency in agriculture has improved by 55%.

Thirdly, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles can significantly increase labor productivity. According to research, drones help reduce the time spent monitoring farmland by 10 times.

Remotely controlled devices also make it possible to quickly spray chemicals harmful to human health, which significantly reduces the time it takes to treat farmland.

For information: due to the harmfulness of chemicals, people can only stay in the fields for a very limited time. In this regard, aviation is often used on large cotton areas, which is also harmful to people due to inaccurate spraying and is a very costly undertaking.

All of these factors significantly increase agricultural productivity. Thus, in Mozambique, new drone technologies helped improve agricultural productivity by 41%, in Saudi Arabia by 20%.

Indian model

The massive use of drones in agriculture has been established in India. The use of drones is projected to increase India’s GDP by 1.5% (US$51 billion) by 2026 and create more 500 thousand new jobs.

Among the features of the Indian model of introducing drones in the agricultural sector:

1) Stimulating the introduction of new technologies in agriculture.

The government subsidizes the purchase of drones by government departments 100%.

Farmers are provided with drones on a leasing basis, and they are provided with financial assistance in the amount of 40% of the cost of the drone.

For the individual purchase of drones by women farmers or representatives of the least developed and sparsely populated regions, financial assistance is provided in the amount of 50% of the cost of the drone.

According to market data, ready-made drone systems for agricultural purposes can range from 1.5 to 25 thousand dollars.

2) Liberalization of legislation in the field of acquisition and use of drones.

The government has introduced a simplified certification scheme for agricultural drones, which can be used not only for spraying chemicals and fertilizers but also for monitoring land by taking photos and videos.

3) Launching programs to train farmers in new technologies.

To promote the use of drones in agriculture, the Government of India has initiated mass training courses for farmers in all regions of the country.

4) Availability of a platform for farmers to rent drones.

The EM3 app was developed to provide farmers with the opportunity to earn additional income by renting out their equipment to farmers who do not own machinery.

China has also created an application for renting drones.

Founded in Beijing in early 2016, Farm Friend is a platform that allows farmers to rent drones to owners of agricultural drones to spray pesticides and fertilizers on crops. Farm Friend does not own drones for agriculture, but despite this, the platform operates more than 5 thousand drones over an area of more than 60 thousand hectares in 10 provinces in China. Farmers enter their desired date and time, crop name, fertilizer or pesticide, farmland acres, location and contact information. Farm Friend automatically matches their requests with nearby service providers. Drone operators receive information about orders and plan work. Payments are made to operators’ accounts after completing the work and sending feedback about the work through the program.

Experience of Uzbekistan

Currently, in Uzbekistan, there is a wide range of opportunities for using drones in solving problems of digitalization of agriculture, reducing the cost of fertilizers and chemicals, and increasing the efficiency of water resource management.

For example, the Jizzax Organic cluster in Jizzakh region has successful experience in using drones in agriculture in Uzbekistan. The aircraft of this enterprise detect anomalies in the growth and development of plants, apply fertilizers precisely and monitor the uniformity of watering. They provide Jizzax Organic specialists with up-to-date and complete information on the quality of crops, damage or death of crops.

The first prototype arrived in Uzbekistan in November 2020. The Great Shark 330VTOL model belongs to the Chinese manufacturing company FOXTECH. The equipment can magnify the image thirtyfold, and its special mode allows monitoring at night. The device has a maximum take-off weight of 21 kg and is capable of flying for 2.5 hours, reaching a speed of up to 80 km/h.

What are the obstacles?

At the same time, the widespread use of drones in Uzbekistan has not received proper development due to a number of reasons.

Firstly, the lack of a regulatory framework regulating the import and use of drones for agricultural purposes.

Currently, the import and operation of drones is regulated by the Air Code, resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers “On approval of the basic rules for aviation flights in the airspace of the Republic of Uzbekistan” dated October 18, 2016, “On additional measures to regulate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Republic of Uzbekistan” from 15 November 2022, “On approval of the Regulations on the procedure for determining restrictive classifications of cartographic and geodetic materials (data), creating maps open for use, issuing, recording and storing secret cartographic and geodetic materials, as well as permitting procedures for ensuring the safety of state secrets in the field of geodesy and cartography" from 14 January 2020.

According to these documents, the temporary import and use of drones is permitted for the preparation of photo and video materials about the tourism potential of Uzbekistan, including by foreign creative groups.

For other purposes, permits for the import, sale, acquisition, storage and use of unmanned aerial vehicles, their components and spare parts may be issued to the relevant ministries, departments and organizations on the basis of a separate resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers.

In addition, permission to carry out aerial photography using aircraft on the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan is issued by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan only for a specifically specified time and territory. In this case, the permit application must also be accompanied by a flight plan detailing the drone’s route and altitude before each flight. In this case, the primary data of aerial photographs are subject to mandatory verification by the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

For comparison, in Russia the import of drones weighing up to 250 grams is possible without registration. Drones weighing from 250 grams to 30 kilograms are subject to registration. It is assumed that registration will be carried out online and free of charge, and drone owners will be sent by mail special radio frequency (RFID) tags, which will have to be attached to the drone body to track them.

In the USA, according to the rules, drones weighing up to 250 grams are used without registration. Models weighing from 250 grams to 25 kilograms can be registered online (payment - US$5 for each copy, for up to 3 years). After registration, the owner is given a special sticker that must be pasted on the body of the drone.

Secondly, lack of expert knowledge and skills on the use of drones. Most clusters and farms are not aware of the capabilities of drones in solving agricultural problems. The scientific and educational institutions involved do not study or conduct research in this area.

Thirdly, the lack of a system of government incentives for the introduction of drones in solving agricultural problems.

Recommendations

To expand the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in agriculture, the following is proposed:

– adaptation of the experience of India, China and Qatar to the conditions of Uzbekistan;

– implementation of programs aimed at introducing advanced technologies of unmanned aerial vehicles and providing scientific, practical and methodological assistance to farms;

– organization of training courses aimed at popularizing the experience of using drones, in collaboration with leading foreign manufacturers and universities;

– introducing amendments to legislation to simplify the procedure for the import and use of drones used in agriculture and control of aerial photography materials;

– creation of a platform for renting and exchanging drones in agriculture;

– development of measures to stimulate the use of drones in agriculture by government organizations and farms;

– organizing educational programs and seminars to train farmers and agricultural workers in the use and maintenance of drones.

Overall, the active use of drones has the potential to make a significant contribution to improving the performance of clusters, farmers and other organizations working in the field of agriculture, supporting the agricultural sector and achieving productivity goals. In this regard, the Center for Progressive Reforms calls on responsible structures to take measures to improve the relevant legislation and intensify organizational work in this direction.