Agricultural drones are changing the way farmers everywhere are farming. This shift is particularly important for smallholder farmers, who account for 85% of all farms worldwide. These disruptive technologies address labor-intensive tasks such as manual spraying and spreading. This allows farmers to use their resources more effectively. As of 2023, some 30 percent of farmland in Thailand now use agri-drones. The 15 percent share would be an impressive jump from nearly zero in 2019.
Agricultural drones are booming in popularity largely due to their ability to spray crops. They further improved farm efficiency by seeding and fertilizing crops uniformly. As these drones fly at least six feet (two meters) above the ground, they can transport up to 220 pounds (100 kg) of loads and spray pesticides on 10 to 25 acres (four to ten hectares) in just one hour. This efficiency means that fewer products will be wasted, as less product will be lost during application.
Aside from spraying, agricultural drones can be quite versatile. They can be used for transporting produce, dispensing fish feeds, painting greenhouses, monitoring livestock locations and well-being, mapping field topography and drainage, and assessing crop health. This versatility is exactly why these drones have become such an invaluable tool to today’s modern agriculturalist.
With the growing use of agricultural drones comes new concerns. If not operated with precision, they can unintentionally spray droplets of pesticides or herbicides on adjacent farms, streams, or pedestrians. Appropriate training and following established safety practices are critical to reducing these dangerous incidents.
Agricultural drones have captured deep interest in the U.S. farming community too. These drones are only largely allowed to spray traditional monoculture crops, like corn and soybeans. They are highly effective in hard-to-reach areas that modern tractors and crop-dusting aircraft cannot easily maneuver. Agricultural drones registered with the Federal Aviation Administration suddenly increased fivefold from roughly 1000 in January 2024 to 5500 by mid-2025. This positive trend further demonstrates that American farmers are really getting on-board with this technology.
China is both the world’s largest maker of agricultural drones and the biggest adopter, having deployed over 250,000 units. In 2016, a Chinese company introduced the first agriculture-specific quadcopter model. This $429M breakthrough represented a historic tipping point in the growing industry.
Agricultural drones provide more beyond efficiency. They can take the place of between 30 and 100 unskilled workers that usually do spraying operations. This capacity helps smallholders shift their time and resources towards more productive use, increasing overall productivity.