Abstract
Drones have been increasingly used for high throughput phenotyping, crop monitoring, and to improve agricultural productivity and support precision farming. By providing efficient tools for crop monitoring, precision input application, and data-driven decision-making, drones provide the potential to significantly reduce costs and increase yields, optimizing resource use and minimizing environmental impact. This technology is particularly valuable to the smallholder farmers who must improve their productivity and reduce production costs to be competitive and stay in business in response to climate change, labor shortages, and higher input costs. However, their adoption is hindered by factors such as limited access to technology, lack of standard protocols, financial resources and regulatory constraints. To overcome these challenges, a comprehensive approach is needed, involving targeted training, guidelines for best practices, financial incentives and supportive government policies. Here we highlight IRRI’s current research on the use of drone technologies to enhance smallholder farmers resilience to climate change, improve their productivity, and contribute to sustainable food systems.
