Agricultural students and staff at Boland College introduced to the latest drone technologies used in climate smart agriculture

On 8 May 2025, Boland College, one of the Centres of Vocational Excellence in Climate Smart Agriculture of the EU-funded Erasmus+ programme, hosted AgriHawk at its Worcester campus. AgriHawk specialises in drone solutions for agriculture, offering services such as crop spraying, precision farming services, chemical grid sampling, soil mapping, plant health surveys, and topographical surveys.

During the event, 59 students and lecturers were introduced to the capabilities and practical applications of drone technology within the agricultural sector. A highlight of the day was a live demonstration, where a drone was used to spray pesticide over the vineyards of the demonstration farm. The advantages of using drones to apply pesticides to crops include reduced pesticide usage, increased crop yields and contributing to water conversation. This modern technology can contribute to climate smart agriculture and sustainable food production.  

This event provided students and lecturers with the opportunity to learn more about the latest technologies used in agriculture. We would therefore like to express our sincere gratitude towards AgriHawk for the demonstration and sharing of their knowledge and expertise!

References:

AgriHawk. 2022. AgriHawk – Services. Available at https://www.agrihawk.co.za/services/. (Accessed on 14 May 2025).

Borah, S.K., Padhiary, M., Sethi, L.N., Kumar, A. and P. Saikia. 2025. Precision farming with drone sprayers: A review of auto navigation and vision-based optimization. Journal of Biosystems Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42853-025-00263-2