[KARA VOICE OVER]
Over time, drones have raised the standard for capturing breathtaking aerial images and videos.
They serve as our eyes in the sky, letting us see what we could never view from the ground.
But this technology is no longer limited to that purpose.
Did you know it can now also be used in farming?
After years of study, it’s said to have been a huge help to farmers when it was first introduced in the Philippines.
But how open are they to embracing this modern technology?
Seventy-eight-year-old farmer Tatay Ricardo wakes up early.
He says he’s been farming for more than six decades.
And for him, the old saying “planting is no joke” couldn’t be more true.
[Tatay Ricardo]
I’m one of those farmers who started with machines. Back then, I was plowing manually, just the way it was before. Then, we eventually got those machines. That’s how it was.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
Ricardo never finished school, so he was introduced to the rice fields at an early age — driven there by hardship.
[Tatay Ricardo]
We didn’t have our own land. We just helped out during harvests. At first, we joined in the reaping, then the threshing. Back then, I was still single. For work, we cut grass for animal feed, sold it at the market in town, traveling by horse and cart.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
He says the income from harvesting rice is small. And instead of doing it all by hand, many landowners now prefer to use the combine harvester — a machine that works the fields much faster.
[Tatay Ricardo]
Yes, there are planting machines now. That’s what’s in fashion these days. Those with money have them. But not everyone does. Some just scatter the seeds by hand to save on costs.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
On top of that, one of their biggest problems is pests feeding on their crops. But Ricardo is thankful that chemicals are now available to fight them off.
[Tatay Ricardo]
It’s common now. People know how to treat the problems in rice, like pests. We use a lot of these chemicals, and when they became available, life got easier.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
For him, modern technology is a big help in lightening their workload.
[Tatay Ricardo]
Yes, it helps. But it’s also costly. We hire tractors to plow the land. We call in the operators, and that’s the usual practice here now.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
One of the programs developed by the Department of Agriculture, or DA, is the use of agricultural drones to help farmers. This program began in 2017.
[Glenn Estrada, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority]
Actually, that initiative started way back in 2014 or 2015. At first, when we had drones, we used them for monitoring — post-disaster assessments, documentation of losses, things like that.
Eventually, their capabilities evolved, and by 2017, we began exploring agricultural drones — how they could be used for crops, and how to push for direct seeding.
You’ve probably seen traditional rice planting, where seedlings are transplanted. But now, the global trend is moving toward direct seeding because it’s cheaper in terms of cost. Many are already advocating for it.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
One of the problems drones aim to solve is the shortage of labor in farming. Fewer young people are interested in taking on this kind of work.
[Estrada]
Labor is a big concern in agriculture. Over time, with urbanization and industrialization, fewer people are available when we need them. Many have moved to service jobs instead.
Our farmers have also aged — the average is now around 53 to 56 years old. You can’t expect their productivity to keep increasing. In fact, it’s gone down.
At the same time, labor and production costs keep going up. Drones, with their precision, help reduce waste from overapplication of seeds, fertilizer, or chemicals.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
With the help of DA-hired service providers, there are now about 500 agricultural drones in use across the country, covering 150,000 hectares of farmland nationwide.
[Kara]
So, what exactly can these agricultural drones do?
[Elpidio Colobong, AGRIDOM]
Ma’am, they can plant rice, spray, and apply granular fertilizers.
[Kara]
Why is this kind of technology important?
[Colobong]
It’s a big help to our farmers because it makes their work much easier.
[Kara]
How does it make the work easier?
[Colobong]
For example, when spraying, it’s more efficient.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
They say that with agricultural drones, planting and applying fertilizer or pesticides becomes faster and more precise.
Imagine this: planting one hectare of land would only take seven to ten minutes. That’s a huge difference compared to the traditional way, which can take almost an entire day per hectare.
[Colobong]
With manual spraying, farmers can lose track of where they’ve stopped, especially when they need to reload.
[Kara]
But with the drone, it’s already mapped out?
[Colobong]
Yes, ma’am.
[Kara]
You also mentioned earlier that this helps protect farmers from exposure to chemicals?
[Colobong]
Yes, ma’am. It keeps them from being directly exposed to the chemicals used on farms.
[Kara]
Because pesticides can affect people’s health.
[Colobong]
Exactly. Especially when applied manually.
[Kara]
So, with this drone, it does the spraying instead?
[Colobong]
Yes, ma’am. It can even cover large areas — up to a kilometer away.
[KARA VOICE OVER]
This technology can also help farmers save on the cost of seeds and other farm chemicals.
[Colobong]
When you use an agricultural drone, you can calculate exactly how much to apply. For example, if you only need 50 kilos of seed for one hectare, the drone will distribute exactly that.
With manual planting, farmers usually use about 150 kilos per hectare. That alone means big savings.
[Kara]
Why do they use so much more when planting by hand?
[Colobong]
It’s just the traditional way they’re used to.
[Kara]
Because when people throw the seeds by hand, they’re uneven.
[Colobong]
Yes, ma’am. It’s not evenly spread.
[Kara]
I’m sure you’ve seen drones used for coverage — weddings, events. But have you seen a drone this big? Amazing, right?
This isn’t for filming. This is an agricultural drone. Believe it or not, it can plant rice, spread fertilizer, and spray pesticides.
We’ve filled this one — not with pesticide, don’t worry — just water for demonstration. Let’s see how it works.
[Kara]
What’s this?
[Drone Operator]
We’ve already mapped the area, ma’am.
[Kara]
Ah, so the drone has its route?
[Operator]
Yes, ma’am. It’s fully automated — you just control it from your phone.
[Kara]
From a phone? Fancy! Can it also take videos?
[Operator]
It can, ma’am. Once it’s set up, we can take off.
[Kara]
That’s it?
[Operator]
Yes, ma’am.
[Kara]
You’re checking if the area’s clear of people first?
[Operator]
Yes, ma’am. Then we just swipe here — and take off.
[Kara]
Wow! And there it goes! Amazing!
[KARA VOICE OVER]
Watch the full story next week on Kara Docs.
[Kara]
Our drone operator is just there, controlling it on his phone.
[Farmer]
The drone is better because it sprays evenly, so the chemicals spread everywhere. When spraying by hand, some pests survive.
What’s great about the drone is it sprays from above. But we’re also worried — soon, there might be no more jobs like this for people, because drones will do it all.