How farmers are reaping hi-tech harvests

FARMERS are dumping their muddy boots in favour of new technology that allows them to monitor their livestock from the comfort of their beds — and even check the heartbeat of individual animals.

A combination of satellite and drone technology is slowly revolutionising agricultural practice, bringing South Africa more into line with precision farming in the US and Europe.

High-resolution cameras mounted on fixed-wing drones can supply detailed real-time information about crops, livestock, rainfall and drainage.

In addition, the European Space Agency is co-funding a pilot satellite imagery project in the Western Cape.

Instead of stomping through the fields with a sunhat and droëwors, farmers are increasingly managing their assets from computer screens.

“Farmers are really interested in these kinds of applications,” said Gerhard Coetzee, of Haevic Drone & Robotic Systems. “There are huge farmers that have already started to use the drones on quite a vast scale.”

However, most local farmers had adopted a “wait and see” policy to drone technology.

“I think they sense that they are not drone pilots and they are afraid that drone technology will keep them too busy. So we offer to render the service for the farmer on a trial basis.” Drone applications include:

Stock counting via the use of animal tags;

Livestock health surveys that can also identify pregnant animals; and

Security surveillance and the ability to distinguish between livestock and human intruders.

Growth in drone technology coincides with advances in satellite imagery, which is already widespread and underpins a promising project in the Western Cape dubbed FruitLook.

Affected farmers can monitor their vineyards and orchards via an online platform containing detailed satellite imagery and weather information.

The system, initiated by the Western Cape department of agriculture and part-funded by the European Space Agency, provides detailed analysis of crop growth, water use and leaf

It is actually mind-boggling what technology will offer in five to 10 years

nitrogen content. It covers more than 170 000ha of fruit crops and supports 270 users.

According to information on the FruitLook website, in a single season farmers can earn up to R33 000 extra per hectare thanks to input savings and yield increases.

Dan Kriek, president of Free State Agriculture, described recent technological advances as “a game-changer”, adding: “With rising costs, farmers will have to invest in technology to get a competitive edge.”

The use of satellite imagery was already widespread in the Free State. “It is actually mindboggling what technology will offer in five to 10 years’ time,” he said.