The School of Agriculture at the University of Ghana (UG) has partnered with Hadad Drones Technologies (HDT) to teach drone applications in Agricultural-business to enable students to ideate innovations to boost Agriculture production in the country.

Speaking at a seminar for students on campus on Wednesday, April 12, 20223 initiated by the Institutional Framework to Enhance the Agri-Innovation Ecosystem within the University of Ghana (IFEA-Eco) project, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness on the theme: Drone Technology and Applications to Agri-business, the Dean of the School of Agriculture and IFEA-Eco Project Investigator (PI), Prof Irene S. Egyir said because “our forefathers did agriculture with manual technology they did not care about new technology.”

According to her, new technology is important for agriculture because agriculture is tilling the land and raising livestock for food.

''So if you are tilling the land, you may want to see that the land is adequate to grow a seed and also knowing all these is the technology and this is what the drone does precisely,” she stressed.

 She explained that the advent of drones was initially in healthcare and media because of photography as well as the military for its surveillance among others.

It was realised it can benefit agriculture and because agriculture comes with moving bulky boxes and litres, the technology was reengineered to help reduce the drudgery that has always come with agriculture, she said.

“So, if we can get some tools to reduce the drudgery in agriculture then drones come to mind because agriculture is physically challenging so if you can get a tool to ensure speed and increase production then is called save labour”, she remarked.

She said agri-business is a chain that demands technology hence the introduction of agriculture students to drone applications to achieve capital productivity.

She said the partnership with HDT is to help the students to think outside the box and to bring technology to help bring technology to ordinary people into agriculture in the country.  

In an interview, the Managing Director of HDT, Mr Jones Owusu Yeboah believes that any country that needs to grow in technology should also think about drone technology because there are so many benefits. 

According to him, aside from drones servicing leading industries, there are plenty of other reasons, mainly concerning three things: 'Saving lives, saving the planet and inspiring the next generation of scientists and technologists'.

He said the main aim of his company is to help create awareness and demonstrate the works of drones and the different types to let people know that flying a drone is not just everybody's priority but a profession.

“It is in this regard that we are partnering with the University of Ghana (UG), Legon to demonstrate one part of drone applications to Agribusiness in school,” he concluded.