Drones for Good: UAS Applications in Agroecology and Organic Farming

Abstract

Drones, or better defined unmanned aerial system (UAS), together with spatially-based ICT currently embody different data acquisition tools and approaches. In smart farming they are commonly adopted for different purposes: from monitoring crop yields, to increasing water use efficiency, to performing integrated management of water and nutrients. However, the integration of UAS and GeoICT in organic farming and agroecological systems is at present scarcely developed even when from experimental trials and case studies in different geographical contexts showed benefits of using UAS to understand agroecosystem dynamics and to support sustainable practices. This chapter aims to give a critical overview of UAS in agriculture, by presenting the main characteristics (platforms, sensors, components) as well as the most diffused applications for monitoring, mapping, and modeling agroecosystems. Moreover, through a case study developed, in the tropical forests of Ecuador, the use of a low-cost fixed-wing UAS for preserving spider monkeys' habitat and monitoring deforestation is illustrated. Finally, bringing the concept of 'Drones for Good', the chapter illustrates opportunities and intersections of experimenting low-cost and open-source UAS for drawing possible pathways towards the agroecological transition, both in terms of improving efficiency of agroecosystems and empowerment of local farmers.