Aligned with the Davao City Agriculturist’s Office’s Modernization and Disaster Mitigation Program acquired two UAVs: MG-1P for spraying and Phantom 4 RTK for mapping/surveying.

Five (5) agricultural engineers from the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Division of the City Agriculturist’s Office attended the training and seminar for drone piloting of MG-1P and Phantom 4 RTK as requirement for drone operations. They were able to execute operations for spraying using the MG-1P, and mapping/surveying using the Phantom 4 RTK at Catalunan Grande, Talomo District on March 16-18 and April 20-22, 2022 respectively.

On April 29, 2022, farmers from Brgy. Los Amigos, Tugbok District, reported a pest infestation in their rice field. As per validation and recommendation, the City Agriculturist’s Office responded through the use of UAV. On May 2, 2022, the MG-1P executed its first spraying operation using Sniper (Cypermethrin insecticide) to address the problem on leaf folder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) in the 20,000 sqm. rice field. The MG-1P was piloted by Engr. Dean S. Martin together with other ABE Division personnel, assisted by Mr. Leomi L. Lamata, Integrated Pest Management Coordinator.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drone) has become a game changer in agriculture. It is an aircraft being piloted by remote-control using software-controlled flight plans in its embedded systems that work in conjunction with onboard sensors, cameras, and global positioning system (GPS). In agriculture, drones deliver an array of purpose such as crops and livestock monitoring; dispersing seeds, fertilizers and weed control; pest and disease management; field mapping, planning and surveying, among others, thus increase efficiency and reduce operational cost. Moreover, drones can be used in pre- and post-disaster assessments and boost disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) capacities.

Davao City Agriculturist’s Office looks forward to provide more efficient services through obtaining real-time data and optimize field operations using UAV technologies.