Energy News
FARM NEWS
Maghreb farmers embrace drones to fight climate change
Maghreb farmers embrace drones to fight climate change
By Aymen JAMLI with AFP Maghreb bureaus
Nabeul, Tunisia (AFP) Dec 3, 2023

A drone buzzed back and forth above rows of verdant orange trees planted near Nabeul, eastern Tunisia.

The black unmanned aircraft, equipped with a multi-lens camera and sensors, has been enlisted by Tunisian farmers to help adapt to years of drought and erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.

"The seasons are not like they were before where we knew exactly what to do," said farmer Yassine Gargouri, noting temperatures now can begin to climb as early as May while in August there have been unusual summer rains.

He hired start-up RoboCare to scan the trees from the air and assess their hydration levels, soil quality and overall health -- to prevent irreversible damage.

The technology "provides us with information on how much water each plant needs, no more, no less", he said.

The use of modern technologies in agriculture is globally on the rise, including in North Africa where countries rank among the world's 33 most water-stressed, according to the World Resources Institute.

RoboCare, employing about 10 people, is the only company in Tunisia, according to its 35-year-old founder Imen Hbiri, to use drones to help farmers combat the impacts of climate change and reduce costs, crop losses and water consumption.

"Resorting to modern technologies in the sector of agriculture has become inevitable," Hbiri told AFP while monitoring the drone's path on her computer screen.

-'Challenge of tomorrow'-

The daughter of farmers, the entrepreneur knows well the limits of existing farming methods.

Now, in just a few clicks, she can access scans that detect signs of illness or malnourishment before they are visible to the naked eye.

On the screen, fields appear in RGB (red, green, blue) imagery -- the greener the plants, the healthier.

Farmers can then use medicine-filled sprinklers mounted to the drones to target the sickly plants with more precision and consequently less expense.

"By relying on this technology, we can save water consumption by up to 30 percent and reduce about 20 percent of the cost of fertilisers and medicine, while raising crop production by 30 percent", Hbiri explained.

Gargouri, who spends about 80 percent of his budget on fertilisers and other remedies, says this technology is the future.

"We must adapt to these upheavals," Gargouri added. "It's the challenge of tomorrow".

Tunisia is currently experiencing its eighth year of drought (four of which were consecutive) in recent years, according to its agriculture ministry.

The country's dams, which are the primary source for drinking water and irrigating crops, are currently only filled to about 22 percent capacity.

And about 20 dams -- mostly located in the south -- have gone completely out of service.

In neighbouring countries, water scarcity is also a major issue.

- Licensing hurdles -

Morocco -- where agriculture accounts for 13 percent of the gross domestic product, 14 percent of exports and 33 percent of jobs -- also suffered its worst drought in four decades in 2022.

Only about three percent of nearly two million Moroccan farmers use new technologies in their fields, Loubna El Mansouri, director of the digital centre at Morocco's agriculture ministry, told AFP.

A study they conducted found that using drones to water crops could use "less than 20 litres of water to irrigate one hectare compared to nearly 300 litres" used with traditional methods, Mansouri added.

Similarly, Algeria's agriculture ministry said it was using drones and satellite imagery for mapping "to optimise the use of agricultural land by evaluating its characteristics and suitability for production", local media reported.

For the use of these technologies to become widespread, however, Hbiri says the law needs to be changed in Tunisia and awareness raised.

Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia ban the use of unmanned drones without a permit, which in the case of commercial uses can take months to be issued.

Hbiri hopes authorities will help start-ups reach more farmers as she estimates "only 10 percent of farmers in Tunisia depend on this type of technology".

"We want to focus our work on the use of technology and not spend time and effort on administrative issues and moving between departments and banks, which is slowing our progress," she said.

Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FARM NEWS
Morocco gardening school cultivates hope for marginalised youth
Sale, Morocco (AFP) Dec 3, 2023
After Hind Bensbitia dropped out of school as a teenager, she was stuck at home with few prospects for her future - until she stumbled across Morocco's first gardening school. Now at 20, she has already seen a change in her outlook both on her own future as well as the planet's, after joining the school in the northwestern Moroccan city of Sale. The school provides free training mainly to dropouts and other marginalised youths threatened with unemployment. "After leaving school, I spent two ... read more

FARM NEWS
AI-Powered Satellite Analysis Unveils Economic Realities in Underdeveloped Nations

Eutelsat OneWeb partners with Imperial College London for space weather monitoring

COP28: UK climate satellite contracts

Groundbreaking satellite study reveals local temperature impacts of land cover modifications

FARM NEWS
Airbus presents first flight model structure for Galileo Second Generation

Galileo Gen2 satellite production commences at Airbus facility

Galileo Second Generation satellite aces first hardware tests

PASSport project testing

FARM NEWS
'It destroys everything': Amazon community fights carbon credit project

New study offers cautious hope about the resilience of redwoods

New suspect in murder of Honduras environmental leader

France pays Congo, Papua New Guinea $150 million to save forests

FARM NEWS
Nigerians look to biofuel as cost of cooking gas soars

Chinese company gives leftover hotpot oil second life as jet fuel

Cheap and efficient ethanol catalyst from laser-melted nanoparticles

UK permits 'world-first' flight powered by sustainable fuels

FARM NEWS
Solar mini-grids offer clean-power hope to rural Africa

China's Quest for Space-Based Solar Power: A Clean Energy Revolution

Solar-Powered Economic Growth: Qihe County's Commitment to Sustainable Energy

Innovative supercrystal material ushers new era in solar energy efficiency

FARM NEWS
UK unveils massive news windfarm investment by UAE, German firms

Wind and solar projects can profit from bitcoin mining

Winds of change? Bid to revive England's onshore sector

Drones to transport personnel and materials to offshore wind farms

FARM NEWS
Rich nations need to ditch fossil fuels by 2040: scientists

Cheap electricity and jobs keep Serbia tied to coal

'Greenwashing': Japan's contentious ammonia fuel plan

Indonesia's coal love affair still aflame despite pledges

FARM NEWS
Freedom and dignity: Millennial Chinese leave China for Thailand

Canada expands probe of Asia multi-lateral bank

Hong Kong holds first 'patriots only' local elections

Hong Kong man charged for wearing 'seditious' shirt

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.