In an unexpected encounter at a Kenyan Drone Business Competition, the paths of drone pilot Ken Mbuki and agriculture enthusiast Michel Iland crossed, unveiling a shared reliance on drone technology to enhance their farming endeavors.
Mbuki, a business intelligence expert at Nairobi’s Moringa School, was introduced to farming at a young age by his mother. Despite his bustling urban career, the allure of farming continued to beckon.
Today, Mbuki, much like countless “Nairobians” of the middle class, actively tends to his rural land, a piece he proudly owns, nestled in the outskirts of Kitui, two meticulously managed acres that epitomize precision farming.
When Nairobi’s hustle and bustle don’t monopolize his time with cost-saving wizardry and the quest for innovation at Moringa School, you’ll discover Mbuki donning yet another hat at KCA University, where he imparts his wisdom through captivating lectures on the intricacies of object-oriented technologies.
Balancing life’s complex symphony, he deftly conducts a multifaceted orchestra of roles and responsibilities, where every moment becomes a precious gem in his day. In the realm of farming, he aspires to harmonize his approach, embracing the same life-guiding principles. With data-driven insights as his compass, he meticulously calculates the ideal measures of water, fertilizers, and pesticides to grace his fields. His secret weapon? A drone, soaring high to bridge the chasm between precision and productivity.
“I used to employ a team of four individuals who’d labor from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., diligently spraying insecticides across my two-acre farm. Yet, over time, some corners were invariably overlooked. But now, with the grace of a drone, a mere hour is all it takes to flawlessly douse the entire farm,” Mbuki remarked, illuminating his transition into the realm of precision agriculture.
In the realm of agriculture, precision farming emerges as a technological symphony orchestrating the optimization of crop production. With tools like GPS, sensors, and drones as its virtuoso instruments, it harmoniously gathers data on both the farm’s landscape and the life it nurtures.
This grand transformation in the tapestry of farming has, like a magician, conjured a spell of efficiency, prosperity, and time well spent for a farmer like Mbuki. And on the same stage, under the dazzling lights of innovation, Iland takes the center spotlight, using precision agriculture to compose the future of his 170-acre canvas in the fertile fields of Mau-Narok.
Iland noted that using GPS-equipped tractors initially posed a problem as they damaged the wheat by driving over it, leading to yield reduction. However, the introduction of drones has significantly reduced this issue by around 40%.
Both men encountered a common obstacle when seeking to adopt new technology: the need for approval from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA). The KCAA’s 2020 regulations clearly state that operating an Unmanned Aircraft System within Kenyan airspace requires authorization from the Authority.
Enduring three weeks of tenacious effort and a 161-kilometer official trek from Nairobi, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) remained adamant in denying Mbuki the drone farming green light he pursued. In the quest for comments from KCAA officials, the author hit a wall, with most reluctant to delve into the uncharted territory of drone farming in their remarks.
Mbuki’s challenges, symbolic of the issues faced by new-age “smart farmers,” are in opposition to African governments’ pleas for a farming revolution to support growing populations and achieve self-reliance. In Kitui’s four-month growing season, bureaucratic obstacles impede the crucial weekly crop spraying central to precision farming.
In Kitui, the use of drones, even beyond precision farming, is an unusual concept that has sparked government interest. They are in the process of structuring their approach to smart farming. Drones, equipped with multi-spectral sensors, create detailed crop maps using soil and vegetation indices, offering valuable information like soil moisture content and stress factors affecting crop productivity.
The global precision farming and agriculture industry is on a significant upswing, as indicated by a recent report. In a noteworthy transformation, Mbuki has become a certified drone pilot and is generously sharing his expertise with fellow farmers like Iland. Meanwhile, Iland is captivated by the potential of drones to revolutionize rice farming in Kenya, as traditional methods have proven cumbersome. While focusing on wheat and potatoes, drones have boosted yields and substantially reduced crop damage from vehicles and human activities. Notably, he’s also venturing into offering drone agriculture services to his fellow farmers in the area.