PhilRice says drones to cut farming costs, downplays potential agriculture job losses

THE Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said the use of drones in farming will cut costs, make agriculture more profitable, and help attract younger people to the profession.

Addressing queries about potential job losses due to the expanded use of drones, program leader Mark Angelo A. Abando said in an e-mail: “Our goal is to provide (farmers) with a combination of integrated digital and precision technologies — together with other best management technologies — that will support them in achieving rice yield increase and reducing the cost of production.”

The drone initiative is part of PhilRice’s Scaling, Modern, and Adaptive Rice Technologies for Better Rice-Farming Communities program.

He said agriculture suffers from low wages and stagnant careers, pointing to the need to incentivize the young to join the farming workforce.

“By integrating modern tools like drones, sensors, apps, and data-driven decision-making into farming, we’re transforming agriculture into a high-tech, innovative, and future-ready industry,” Mr. Abando said.

Mr. Abando said these measures are being undertaken “with long-term sustainability in mind,” adding that potential drone applications in farming include seeding and herbicide spraying. — Andre Christopher H. Alampay