Drone-based field demonstrations and farmer’s response towards precision spraying technology in Jammu and Kashmir

Introduction

Agriculture remains the backbone of the Indian economy, supporting the livelihoods of a large rural population. However, the sector is increasingly challenged by shrinking landholdings, rising labour costs, climate variability, and the continued reliance on traditional crop management practices [1] . These constraints are particularly evident in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, where fragmented farms and undulating terrain limit the efficiency of conventional agricultural operations. In such situations, adoption of modern technologies becomes essential to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and ensure sustainability. The drone technology has recently emerged as an innovative tool in precision agriculture. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) enable uniform and targeted application of crop protection chemicals and nutrients, saving time and labour while reducing excessive input use [2] . Compared to manual spraying, drone-based application improves coverage, minimizes human exposure to chemicals, and ensures timely operations, particularly in areas where access is difficult [3] . Despite these advantages, awareness and adoption of drone technology among small and marginal farmers remain limited due to high initial costs, lack of technical knowledge and limited opportunities [4] . To bridge this gap, the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Zone I, initiated and supported drone demonstrations across different districts of the Jammu division starting from 2023 to 2025. These demonstrations aimed to familiarize farmers with drone-based spraying and to assess its practical feasibility under local farming www.extensionjournal.com conditions. Understanding farmers' perception, response, and willingness to adopt such advanced technologies is crucial for scaling up their use. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of drone demonstrations in farmers' fields with special reference to time efficiency, input optimization, and overall acceptance of the technology in the region. Objectives 1. To demonstrate the effectiveness of drone based spraying in Farmers' field. 2. To compare drone spraying with knapsack and boom sprayer in term of time, cost and efficiency 3. To assess Farmers' perception, satisfaction and willingness to adopt drone technology

Methodology

The study was conducted from 2023-25 to document dronebased spraying demonstrations organized in selected districts of Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India under the technical guidance of Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Zone I. In this project, the drone was provided to KVK-Jammu for field demonstration with a target of covering the 250 hectares of land. The data recorded included date, location, number of farmers participated, area covered (hectare) and purpose of application. The entries without reported farmer participation were excluded from participation totals but included in area estimation. The data were compiled yearwise and purpose-wise. In this context, descriptive statistical tools such as totals, averages and percentages were used for analysis. The results were then interpreted in the context of extension outreach and technology dissemination.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra Drone Project:

This was launched by ICAR-ATARI Zone-I in 2022 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to promote the drone technology in agriculture sector through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in northern states, including Jammu and Kashmir [5] . This project covers 20 KVKs with 10 drones deployed and 12 rural youth trained as drone pilots. Under this project, 424 field demonstrations were conducted covering 624.8 ha with reaching over 6000 farmers [6] . This aims to improve precision spraying of fertilizers and pesticides, enhance adoption of drone-based agricultural practices in the region. The Agricultural drone or UAV (Agribot by IoTech World) used for field demonstration was provided under Krishi Vigyan Kendra Drone Project which mainly consists of a hexacopter with 4 ha/hr efficiency, maximum take off weight of 25 Kg along with tank volume of 10 L, move upto a maximum height of 0-30 m, work efficiently at 0-50 °C, fly at maximum speed of 0-10 m/s, maximum flight time without payload is 15-20 minutes, move within a range of 2 Km, spray width is 3 m, maximum discharge rate is 0.85 L/minutes per nozzle, battery capacity is 16000 mH, battery voltage 22.2 or 44.4V and life is 300 cycles [7] . The various drone demonstrations were shown to the institutional and farmers field as shown in the given images:

Farmers' perception towards drone technology:

The results showed that the majority of the farmers show a positive response towards the spraying application through drones. In this aspect, the 88% of the farmers agreed that drone application saves time, while 84% of farmers reported that it also provides the uniform spray coverage. Similarly, the 81% of the farmers believed that drone spraying reduces exposure to chemicals and 91% considered it a useful technology (Table 1). This positive response may be due to time saving, reduced labour cost, uniform spray distribution and improved safety measures. The results showed an increase in Farmers' knowledge regarding drone technology after the field demonstrations. The awareness about agricultural drones increased from 29% to 85% after the demonstration while the knowledge about the nano-urea spraying through drones has increased from 24% to 88%. The similar results were obtained regarding the fungicides and pesticides as well (Table 2). This improvement may be attributed to practical field demonstrations, direct interaction with the farmers, better understanding of the technology and directly seeing the results. 3). 3a, the spraying of nano-urea and weedicide constituted the highest proportion (33%) of total demonstrations. This suggests that precision nutrient management and weedicide applications are a primary focus area in drone deployment. The fungicide (8%) and pesticide (10%) applications further demonstrate the versatility of drone technology in crop protection. Awareness-only campaigns (17%) played a crucial role in sensitizing farmers and building initial confidence toward the technology.

Crop-wise Focus

The crop demonstrations consist of wheat and paddy (35%) each, which were the major crops covered, reflecting their dominance in the region. Limited demonstrations on maize indicate potential scope for expansion in diversified cropping systems (fig. 3b). The concentration of activities on major cereals suggests that drone services are currently aligned with high-area crops where scale advantages are significant. The data indicate that institutionalled demonstrations are effective tools for technology diffusion. High farmer participation in organized events shows increasing acceptance, though small landholdings may restrict individual ownership. Therefore, custom hiring models and government-supported service systems may be more feasible for widespread adoption. Some of the government schemes which make the feasibility of small scale farmers to use drones:

1. Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM): This scheme was launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to increase the reach of farm mechanization for small scale and marginal farmers. This program provides 50% subsidy for small scale farmers and 40% subsidy for women farmers. In this scheme, the funds amount of Rs. 141.39 crores released towards drone promotion. In this 263 agri-drones have been procured by 193 institutions of ICAR across the country and 263 personnel from these institutions have undergone drone pilot training [8] . 2. Custom Hiring Centers (CHC) Scheme: In this scheme, the different centers were opened by Government of India to provide the farm machinery and equipment for small and marginal farmers on a rental basis. These are mainly formed to help the modern agriculture practices are affordable and accessible. In this scheme, 44607 CHCs with 139319 agricultural machineries for renting out are registered on mobile app in which total of 114461 farmers are registered on this mobile app named CHC App [9] .

Namo Drone Didi (NDD) Scheme: It is launched in

2023 by the Government of India for empowering women-led Self-help Groups by provide the drone technology for agricultural services. The scheme provides 80% subsidy on drone costs up to 8 lakhs and 20% can be financed through loans under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. This scheme has an outlay of Rs.1261 crore from the period 2023-26 by targeting the distribution of 15000 drones to selected SHGs in which only 500 drones have been distributed [10] .

Overall, the study confirms that drone demonstrations have moved beyond experimental exposure and are gradually integrating into mainstream extension strategies.

Conclusion

The study documented that the target of covering of 250 hectares of land through drone demonstrations was successfully achieved by conducting 184 drone demonstrations between 2023 and 2025 in Jammu division, covering 256 hectares and reaching 18,599 farmers. Demonstrations increased substantially during 2024 and 2025, indicating growing institutional support and farmer interest. The nano urea and weedicide applications were the dominant operational purposes, particularly in wheat and paddy crops. The large-scale awareness programmes significantly enhanced outreach impact. Henceforth, the findings suggest strong potential for scaling drone-based custom hiring services in the region. Continued extension support and policy backing will be critical for sustained adoption of drone technology in smallholder farming systems.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementAll the authors would be very grateful to acknowledge the funding source of the study is ICAR-ATARI, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.

References

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