One of the most prevalent areas for drone use is within the agricultural industry, in which drones offer the potential to address several major challenges. Recently, Global Market Insights predicted that the agricultural drone market will surpass $1 billion by 2024. What drives that growth? Most likely it is the increasing technological advancements that are focused on enhancing quality farming techniques, and the increased need for automation due to the lack in skilled labor in that space.

Drones can improve many different aspects of the agricultural industry. For example, drones can carry out crop monitoring, soil assessment, review of plant population, irrigation and drainage, fertility and crop protection, spraying of fertilizer and pesticides, and harvest planning.

One specific example: a drone can fly over a farm property to take aerial images of the crops using red, green, blue, red edge, near-infrared, and thermal image bands. With those images, the farmer can then create normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) maps. Then these NDVI drone-created mapscan be used to help analyze and assess whether the target crop or area being observed contains live green vegetation or not. Digital surface maps, thermal maps, and other types of maps can also be generated using the images gathered by the drone. This information can increase crop production, lower water usage, and uncover many other types of issues, such as the presence (and prevalence) of pests. The infrared images can also help determine the health of crops. All of this can be done with the push of a button using a drone.

Why is this important? Not only does this help to fill some of the labor gap, but a farmer also now has the ability to gather and review this type of information so efficiently and effortlessly (and to adjust tactics and plans just as easily), that they can maintain (and keep) the farm running and producing crop. As the statistics show, drones are surely a vital technological component to the future of farming and agriculture.

Photo of Kathryn Rattigan Kathryn Rattigan

Kathryn Rattigan is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Data Privacy+ Cybersecurity Team. She concentrates her practice on privacy and security compliance under both state and federal regulations and advising clients on website and mobile app privacy and security…

Kathryn Rattigan is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Data Privacy+ Cybersecurity Team. She concentrates her practice on privacy and security compliance under both state and federal regulations and advising clients on website and mobile app privacy and security compliance. Kathryn helps clients review, revise and implement necessary policies and procedures under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). She also provides clients with the information needed to effectively and efficiently handle potential and confirmed data breaches while providing insight into federal regulations and requirements for notification and an assessment under state breach notification laws. Prior to joining the firm, Kathryn was an associate at Nixon Peabody. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Stonehill College. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.