e-Agriculture updates : Recent news

Drones in agriculture : a tool for early pest detection

Although agriculture is perceived as a traditional economic sector, precision agriculture technologies have already boosted crop yields significantly in the last decades. What else can be done?What drones have to offer to agriculture? You might argue: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been around for about a century, so what’s new?

This contributed article focuses on how drone generated data can be processed using AgroHelper. AgroHelper, a Bulgarian startup is working on developing a web-based solution that helps farmers process drone captured images and detect, in real time, zones with potential crop health issues.

The platform is powered by a cloud infrastructure and does not require any specific hardware to be present on the farmer’s local machine (or a fast internet connection). Read the article here

African Union embraces drones technology for agriculture

African Union publishes a Decision EX . CL/Dec. 986-1007 (XXXII), the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), requests the AU and Member States to harness drones for agriculture as one of three emerging technologies of relevance for African development. Read the article here

This decision has already seen the The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) in partnership with Parrot - a global leader in the UAV industry, publishing a Call for Expression of Interest to increase players in the drones in agriculture across africa. Read the article here

Can ICTs be used to fight pests’ outbreaks (for example Fall Armyworm?)

Agriculture has always been affected by plant pests and diseases, outbreaks can cause huge losses to crops and pastures and threatening the livelihoods of vulnerable smallholder farmers.Currently, the Fall Armyworm (FAW) has ravaged many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

FAO has already offered a briefing note on FAW which can be read here.Information and communication technologies have proven to be useful in other aspects of agriculture and also in the fight against pests and diseases. Two recent examples are:(i) Farm Radio Trust and the CABI's Plantwise clinics. Read the article here

FAO and Telefónica to boost use of cutting-edge digital technologies to assist farmers in developing countries

FAO and Spain’s Telefonica, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, have agreed to work together to leverage the use of cutting-edge digital technologies for agricultural development, food security and nutrition, and specifically, prepare and strengthen farmers in the face of extreme weather events related to climate change.

In his remarks, FAO’s director general José Graziano da Silva said, “This partnership will help us face one of the greatest current challenges in the fight against hunger, poverty and the effects of climate change in agriculture. Access to reliable information, including that related to changing weather patterns, is essential to empower farmers, especially those who live in developing countries”. Read the article here