‘Drones can help farmers increase productivity’
Prof. David Halliwell talks about smart agri techniques.
and mostly poor who would not be able to afford this. How feasible do you think is this technology in India? A: I understand the nature of the farming community in India and the biggest impediment here would be the cost of the drones, because here ( in India), the size of farmlands are very small so the government can step in to serve the farmers by helping them purchase the drones. Once it is bought, it is easy to use and does not require any rocket science. If farmers come together to form farming cooperatives, thus increasing the area of farmlands, it would become cost effective as all farmers would not require to have a personal drone. The drone technology would in turn help the farmers understand their soil better and increasing productivity. Q: For farmers in India, water is seen to be a major concern, as some regions have been reeling under severe drought for the past two years. What technologies can Indian farmers adopt, to solve this problem of water scarcity? A: Drought is not just an Indian problem; it is everywhere. Israel seems to have has done very well in the field of drought mitigation and water saving, they also have a very strong institution. Drip irrigation is a very smart technology to use water judiciously in times of water scarcity and for this, the farming community needs to be educated by the government. Better weather forecasting by the government would also help farmers plan their crops well in advance. Workshops, management of farmers’ database and help from the government can also relieve farmers during times of distress.