Afrikonet Stategic Initiatives

Ways through which drones can benefits Africa’s Agriculture
Drones and UAV’s can speed
up the land registration
process.
Just 10% of Africa’s rural land is
mapped and registered, leaving
insecure about land ownership and
affecting rural farmers more than
others. People involved in trades
besides farming would benefit
because they could use the land as a
backup plan if a period of economic
instability occurs instead of falling
into poverty.
Drones also provide farmers with
an aerial view of their crops,
allowing them to manage them
better and notice changes.
UAV’s with specialized sensors can alert
farmers to changes like normalized
difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf
area index and photochemical
reflectance index. This allows farmers to
notice developments the human eye
would not. Using NDVI, a person
receives information about water
pressure, infestations, crop diseases and
nutrient problems that may affect crop
production. Around 7,000 African
farmers in Uganda have used these
drone techniques to better manage their
crops.
Drone technology is also
changing the schema of crop
insurance.
Crop insurance helps small farmers
recover when natural disasters destroy
their crops but poor reporting delays
payouts. The use of UAVs makes it
easier to quickly assess disaster damage
and compensate farmers that disasters
affect. Some larger reinsurers, such as
Munich Re, have partnered with UAV
service providers to improve response
times and reporting accuracy after
natural disasters strike. This use of
technology to better assess farm
damages keeps farmers from falling into
poverty and allows them to protect their
livelihood.
Drones and precision
agriculture provide data that
helps farmers take inventory
of their crops and estimate
crop yields faster.
Drone use also lets a farmer know
the location of livestock and helps to
monitor fencing. Additionally, if
farmers have detailed layouts of
their land, including size, crop health
and location, it will improve their
ability to get credit, which will
provide more economic advantages.