Drones for Precision Agriculture: Applications and Impacts in Developing Countries

Dear Colleague,

This Speical Issue examines the applications and impacts of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) also known as drones for precision agriculture in developing countries where most of the population relies on agriculture for their subsistence. Agriculture contributes to a large share of the GDP in many developing countries, yet, the sector continues to face major challenges. Its rapidly growing population is increasing food demand while climate change and soil degradation are limiting agricultural performances. Recent advancements in global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and automation have made possible the development of low-cost drones that offer new possibilities for the adaptation of precision farming techniques to farmers’ needs. Drones generated data have the potential of delivering innovative, location-specific and real-time information to farmers about the status of their crop enhancing the sustainability and adaptive capacity of their agricultural production system. Using drones’ imaging systems farmers can monitor their crop, sense soil characteristics, and identify and react quickly to threats such as weeds, pests, and fungi. However, there is not enough scientific evidence on the applications and real impact drones have on farmers' productivity, food security, and livelihood.

This Special Issue aims at collecting research papers from academics, development practitioners, and policymakers working on different aspects related to the use of drones in agriculture. Potential fields of interest are agriculture, economics, information and communications technology (ICT), computer science, engineering, geographic information systems, etc.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

-              Science, technology, and application of drones in agriculture;

-              Impact of drones on farmer’s productivity, food security, and livelihood;

-              Adoption and willingness to pay for drones’ services for precision agriculture; 

-              Analysis of drones’ data for digital agriculture: photogrammetry, statistical and machine learning approaches; 

-              Legal and social implications of using drones in agriculture; 

-              Drones-based extension

Dr. Abdelaziz Lawani
Prof. Dr. Michael Reed
Dr. Tyler Mark
Dr. Senakpon Kokoye
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Drones
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Precision Agriculture
• Innovations
• Food Security
• Agricultural Productivity
• Sustainable Livelihood
• Extension Program