Page 30 - World Airnews August 2020 Edition

C W Price & Co
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DRONES
DRONE ON THE FARM

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The Red Box RB Series
These man-portable GPU’s use the latest in dry lead acid military
/ aviation technology which offers many valuable features. Very

“Boreholes were expensive and unreli- legislation, titled “Regulations for Remotely

able…ordering water was expensive,” said Piloted Aircraft” (RPA) and Unmanned rugged, they can be operated, stored or transported in any orienta-

athan Zecks Mazvazva, a 25-year- Mazvazva. “With less rain, draining our Aerial Vehicle Systems (UAVS).” tion, even inverted. Safely transported in aircraft, land or sea, they

Nold farmer in Zimbabwe, stands reservoir was not a feasible option, so we Such tougher regulations require a re- produce massive power for comparatively low weight and small
had to improvise.”

in his sugarcane field, marvelling at a mote pilot license to fly drones, regardless size. They hold their charge for long periods when on standby or in

Mazvazva first heard about drone irriga-

recent savings of 60% on irrigation costs. tion technology late last year, from a local of their purpose, along with many more storage.

requirements. However, Zimbabwe’s deputy
And sugarcane is just part of Mazvazva’s tech start-up called Iris Water. Soon after, agriculture minister, Vangelis Haritatos, had

property in Zimbabwe. He owns nearly he purchased two drones for him farms. responded to queries about the reasons for
500 acres, growing green beans to green “Each drone can carry 15 litres of water the regulations at the time of going to press. Eagle Tow Tug

peppers. Simply put, technology - more and pesticides. Efficient spraying can cover While the use of drones is limited by Nothing moves you like an Eagle tug. Designed and built to meet

specifically, drones - is making his liveli- 37 acres in 30 minutes, thanks to accurate security and privacy concerns from regional the varying demands of regional airlines, corporate fl ight depart-

hood more cost efficient. distribution of liquid,” said Mazvazva. governments, the Food and Agriculture ments and military fl ight ops. The Eagle TT series All-Wheel Drive

“Annual costs on traditional irrigation “With traditional irrigation, most water Organisation and International Telecom-

amount to (US) $40,000 and 100,000 litres goes into the top soil, seeping down to the munication Union are promoting them, aircraft tractors pack a lot of power in a small package. The ad-

of water to irrigate one acre of sugarcane,” underlying bedrock.” especially amid climate change. vantage of All Wheel Drive provides safe controlled traction on all
said Mazvazva. Eddie Dube, also in his 20s, is a farmer in In 2018, the two produced reports on surface conditions.
“With drone irrigation, we have cut costs Zimbabwe’s fourth-largest city, Mutare; he crop production; both organizations found

to (US) $24,000.” owns almost 25 acres. Struggling with tradi- drones ideal for what is termed “precision
A traditional irrigation system for such tional irrigation, Dube rented drones last agriculture.”

acreage normally requires piping and fall, also from Iris Water, for his tobacco, “In supporting precision farming, drones

sprinklers. But drones remove those needs, maize and cabbage. As a result, he saved can do soil health scans, monitor crop
transporting water from a nearby dam money, reduced spillage and experienced a health, assist in planning irrigation sched-

directly to Mazvazva’s crops. bumper-yield of 87%. ules, apply fertilizers, estimate yield data

Additionally, drone irrigation causes less Nyasha Hambira, Iris Water’s founder and and provide valuable data for weather anal-
water spillage. In fact, targeted crop wa- CEO said his company’s agricultural 15-litre ysis,” reads a section of the report. “Data

tering is especially helpful when seasonal drone costs (US) $4,000, including tax, collected through drones, combined with
droughts reduce water sources. and that spares, warranty, batteries and other data sources and analytic solutions,

Over the past decade, weather patterns software are provided. The company also provide actionable information.”

in some parts of the world have become in- produces a drone with 10-litre capacity for Farmers are facing increasing challenges
creasingly unfriendly to farmers. Abnormal (US) $3,500. in their efforts fighting world hunger. The

dry spells are more frequent, especially in Most farmers in Zimbabwe are commu- FAO and ITU conclude that drones are a
Mazvazva’s region. nal, not commercial. That means drone helpful alternative solution for farmers.

The World Food Program and United irrigation can represent an expensive prop- Now, farmers in such areas as Zimbabwe

Nations cite troubling numbers concerning osition for such group farms. say, governments need to recognize this

droughts. It is said such dry spells cause Beyond the financials, a key challenge and do what they can to support the hands

45 million people in Southern Africa to face of using drones in Zimbabwe is strict that feed them. Q
food shortages. The hardest hit countries regulations due to security concerns. For C W Price and Co

include Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi instance, in 2016, the Civil Aviation Author- * Edited by Blake French and

and Zimbabwe. ity of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) crafted 31 pages of Matthew Hal. Tel: (011) 8054720

Fax: (011) 3156275
World Airnews | August 2020 World Airnews | August 2020
— 28 — — 29 — Email: cwp@cwprice.co.za
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