On 26 April 2016, ABS-CBN reported that the Philippines had started to deploy drones to determine the areas of farmland at risk from natural disasters in order to ensure damage could be assessed quickly after a strike.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that, by assessing vulnerable farmland, the negative impacts of typhoons, floods, and even climate change can be minimised, thus avoiding having to completely rebuild the agriculture sector after a disaster.

Why The Philippines?

The Philippines is one of the most at-risk countries for natural disasters; disasters like droughts and floods, typhoons, and earthquakes, all of which have a heavy impact on farming and ultimately the access to food.

The Philippines government and FAO have funded a pilot project, and already two unmanned drones have been sent to provinces adversely affected by the El Niño weather pattern. These drones can cover up to 600 hectares of land per day, generating detailed maps and data from aerial photographs.

The data includes an indicator used to analyse vegetation and plant health. According to the FAO, imagery generated from drone flights is also capable of revealing ideal locations for irrigation or storage facilities to best serve local farmers.

Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness

Christopher Morales, Director of Field Operations for the Department of Agriculture, said that not only does the use of drones save time, it’s also very efficient. It’s utilising a reliable data source to plan for and provide appropriate responses and interventions for Philippine farmers in times of disasters.

The FAO said that, when Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in the year 2013, 6,000 people were killed and 600,000 hectares of farmland were devastated, thus inflicting more than $700 million worth of damage to the agriculture sector.

Drones can be extremely useful for land surveyors in Mandurah and elsewhere. To find out how drones could be used to help with your survey, contact Greg Cole, Mandurah surveyor, today.