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Agriculture

Drones are supporting farmers to improve productivity and efficiencies in primary produce industries.
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The agriculture, forestry and fishing industries offer the largest potential for cost savings and improvement in productive processes to improve agricultural yields, with forecast savings ranging from $310 to $940 million in 2040 (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020). 

Drones are assisting farmers across Australia to manage water and assets, such as livestock, buildings and dams. For instance, drones can map water flow to determine dam placement, survey crops to identify areas of low yield or predict future yields, and distribute fertilisers to support better crop outputs. Aerial photography can also identify weed infestations, which can be followed up with ground analysis to determine specific soil or pest issues. Drones can improve the accuracy of pesticide and herbicide delivery, which reduces excess spraying and the potential impacts of runoff on local ecosystems.

In primary produce industries, high-tech drones are allowing operators to automate some processes such as planting, livestock management or spraying crops. These potential drone uses are leading a new branch of agricultural processes, sometimes referred to as precision agriculture.

Business uptake and cost savings

An estimated 10% of agricultural business in Australia currently use drones to support operational processes. By 2040, it is forecast that agricultural drone adoption will reach 8,300 units under the low uptake model and 23,900 units under the high uptake model (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020, p. 28). This will create significant cost savings and support improvements in productive processes to improve agricultural yields

Cumulatively, cost savings for the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry are forecast to amount to $3.5 to $10.4 billion from 2020 to 2040 over low, medium and high uptake scenarios (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020, p. 44). There are also potential environmental non-market benefits as drones have the potential to reduce the total quantity of additives for crops including pesticides as well as crop water use.

Read more
Economic benefit analysis of drones in Australia CASA guidance on drone safety for agricultural applications Future trends of drones in farming Validating the benefits of increased drone uptake for Australia: Geographic, demographic and social insights