Drones and robots will join the birds and bees in Kelowna's orchards this spring in what's being hailed by the city of Kelowna as a new era of high tech agriculture.
The City of Kelowna and InDro Robotics pilot project will utilize drones and industrial robots to patrol 200 acres of apple, pear and cherry trees to monitor and assess crop health and anticipate fruit yields. Farm locations selected for this pilot project are being coordinated with the Regional District Central Okanagan.
“The agricultural industry is an integral part of our healthy food system and local economy,” Mayor Tom Dyas said in a press release.
“Council is committed to supporting innovative ideas to help farmers better navigate changing conditions to be more resilient and sustainable. It is an economic sector that occupies more than 40 per cent of our city's lands and is also an essential part of our cultural identity. This initiative is an example of how council's priority to support agriculture is being advanced.”
The InDro Robotics airborne drones and ground roving robots will help farmers reach new levels of crop management. The City of Kelowna will capture and store the data collected in the orchards.
“As we embrace the future of agriculture, we're not just introducing robots and drones. We're ushering in a new era of precision farming,” Philip Reece, CEO and founder of InDro Robotics said.
Reece said company's autonomous robots and drones will for the next two years inspect local crops, providing near real-time data on plant health, infestations, soil moisture, and more.
The data collected by the orchard roving technologies is also expected to help local farmers increase yields, reduce overhead, improve resiliency to climate change, improve water use efficiencies, and assure competitiveness in the global market.
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