DJI Agriculture, a global leader in facilitating agricultural innovation through drone technology, today reveals the findings of the DJI Agriculture Drone Insight Report 2022/23.

"DJI Agriculture strives to enhance the efficiency of farmland management through digital agricultural solutions based on intelligent agriculture drones in an environmental and ecological way," said Yuan Zhang, Head of Global Sales at DJI Agriculture. "This report shows that governments around the world and farmers, are adopting the use of agricultural drones and smart farming methods to increase food production in a more scientific, sustainable and eco-friendly way. This approach can reduce the amount of agricultural chemicals used while ensuring food security and environmental balance."

The report is split into several sections examining DJI Agriculture's work in 2022/23, Global Policy Trends, Agriculture Drone Tests, Innovations in Drone Application and Best Practices.

DJI Agriculture's work in 2022/23

Since its inception just over ten years ago DJI Agriculture has grown over six continents, covering more than 100 countries and regions. At the end of 2022, the global number of DJI agriculture drones exceeded 200,000 units, and the cumulative operating area exceeded 200 million hectares, bringing the benefits of aerial technology to hundreds of millions of agricultural practitioners. Through flying training, a total of 150,000 agriculture drone pilots and 2,500 teachers have been trained to promote more young entrepreneurs to join the cause of science and technology agriculture and provide talent support for the development of intelligent agriculture.

Global Policy Trends

As agricultural drone technology is increasingly being embraced by farmers around the world, governments are starting to see the many benefits that this brings to the industry. There have been proposals to revise regulation across Europe, North America and Brazil. In China, DJI's T16, T20, T10 and T30 agricultural drones were all issued with airworthiness certification by the CAAC.

Agricultural Drone Tests

A number of in-depth tests have been conducted including droplet size tests, drifting tests and herbicide tests, across the DJI Agras agricultural drone series.

Innovations in Drone Application

Drones have been used in a number of innovative ways from pest and disease control in the Maldives to integrating them with traditional grape farming techniques or even in smart farming, optimizing potato and rice yields. One large scale potato farmer in Washington State saw an 80% reduction in insect damage by conducting spot spraying on a 60-hectare field.  In Japan a local rice producer was able to save on fertilizer and increase his yield, giving him an additional 5,425 USD per hectare. Some of the more novel use cases include pollination, shaking dead flowers from fruit trees, and spraying of antifreeze and sunscreen for fruit trees.

Best Practices

There are extensive discussions around the world on establishing best practices for agricultural drones, which include crew training, drone technology improvement, pharmaceutical use specifications, standard operating procedures, and safe operation guidelines.

DJI has established the DJI ACADEMY and has carried out agricultural drone training in Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, and Turkey. New technology such as the centrifugal nozzle, radar technology and new cameras have been developed to optimize agricultural production management in terms of intelligence, efficiency, effectiveness and safety.

DJI Agriculture not only manufactures drones, but also actively establishes contacts with a number of chemical companies, universities, and professional institutions to jointly explore best practices.

AGRITECHNICA 2023 HANNOVER, 12^th-18^th November

DJI Agriculture will be displaying its range of agricultural drones and smart farming solutions at AGRITECHNICA 2023 in Hall 9, Stand 16. To arrange an interview or find out more about how DJI Agriculture is working with its partners to create an aerial application ecosystem centered on pesticide optimization, product improvement, technological advancement and talent growth, use the contact email address below. 

About DJI Agriculture

Since 2006, DJI has led the world with civilian drone innovations that have empowered individuals to take flight for the first time, visionaries to turn their imagination into reality, and professionals to transform their work entirely. With a solution-oriented mindset and genuine curiosity, DJI has expanded its ambitions into the area of agriculture.

In 2012, DJI commenced R&D of agriculture drones and in 2015 established DJI Agriculture. DJI Agriculture is committed to developing innovative, efficient and sustainable solutions to continuously improve agricultural productivity. With products servicing over 100 countries worldwide, DJI Agriculture has empowered over 10 million professional users with intelligent farming solutions.