Application of Drones in Precision Agriculture: A Review on Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

The integration of drone technology in precision agriculture is transforming conventional farming practices by enabling data-driven, efficient, and sustainable crop management. This review explores the multipurpose applications of drones, such as crop monitoring, spraying, mapping, soil analysis, irrigation management, and yield estimation. These applications help in reducing labor costs, enhancing input efficiency, and improving productivity through real-time decision-making. Despite their vast potential, the adoption of drones in agriculture faces several challenges including regulatory restrictions, high initial costs, limited battery life, lack of skilled operators, and technical limitations in diverse environmental conditions. The paper critically analyses current advancements, benefits, and technological limitations based on recent research and case studies. It also highlights future prospects of integrating drones with AI, IoT, and GIS for smarter farming systems. The review concludes that while drones hold immense promise for sustainable agriculture, overcoming existing barriers is essential to realize their full-scale deployment and impact.