The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has entered a partnership with agricultural technology provider XAG to enhance rice-based farming systems through smart agriculture. The collaboration, announced Monday, will focus on using drones to improve crop monitoring, productivity, and resource management.
XAG Philippine partner Agridom has donated agricultural drones to IRRI for this initiative. The drones, which are becoming increasingly popular in precision farming, can be used for tasks such as high-throughput phenotyping, monitoring crop health, and optimizing input applications like fertilizers and pesticides.
According to Steve Klassen, IRRI’s senior scientist for digital agriculture and precision farming, drones offer significant potential to reduce costs and increase yield while minimizing environmental impact. They are especially valuable for smallholder farmers, who face challenges like climate change, labor shortages, and rising input costs.
Despite the promise of drone technology, IRRI notes that adoption in the Philippines is hindered by limited access, financial constraints, and regulatory barriers. To address these issues, IRRI is working with the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Rice Research Institute on the Drones4Rice project, which aims to standardize drone protocols for agricultural applications.
XAG, which operates in over 70 countries, hopes the partnership will bolster global food security and tackle climate change, given the critical role rice plays as a staple food for over half of the world’s population.
