Drones buzz to protect plants in Tunisia

NABEUL, Tunisia — A drone buzzed back and forth above rows of verdant orange trees planted near Nabeul, eastern Tunisia.

The black unmanned aircraft, equipped with a multi-lens camera and sensors, has been enlisted by Tunisian farmers to help adapt to years of drought and erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.

"The seasons are not like they were before where we knew exactly what to do," said farmer Yassine Gargouri, noting temperatures now can begin to climb as early as May while in August there have been unusual summer rains.

He hired startup RoboCare to scan the trees from the air and assess their hydration levels, soil quality and overall health — to prevent irreversible damage.

The technology "provides us with information on how much water each plant needs, no more, no less", he said.

The use of modern technologies in agriculture is globally on the rise, including in North Africa where countries rank among the world's 33 most water-stressed, according to the World Resources Institute.

RoboCare, employing about 10 people, is the only company in Tunisia, according to its 35-year-old founder Imen Hbiri, to use drones to help farmers combat the impacts of climate change and reduce costs, crop losses and water consumption.

"Resorting to modern technologies in the sector of agriculture has become inevitable," Hbiri told AFP while monitoring the drone's path on her computer screen.

The daughter of farmers, the entrepreneur knows well the limits of existing farming methods.

Now, with just a few clicks, she can access scans that detect signs of illness or malnourishment before they are visible to the naked eye.

On the screen, fields appear in RGB (red, green, blue) imagery, the greener the plants, the healthier.

Farmers can then use medicine-filled sprinklers fitted to the drones to target the sickly plants with more precision and less expense.

"By relying on this technology, we can save water consumption by up to 30 percent and reduce about 20 percent of the cost of fertilizers and medicine, while raising crop production by 30 percent," Hbiri explained.

Gargouri, who spends about 80 percent of his budget on fertilizers and other remedies, says this technology is the future.

"We must adapt to these upheavals," Gargouri added. "It's the challenge of tomorrow."

Tunisia is currently experiencing its eighth year of drought (four of which were consecutive) in recent years, according to its agriculture ministry.

The country's dams, which are the primary source of drinking water and irrigation, are currently only filled to about 22 percent capacity.

And about 20 dams, mostly located in the south, have gone completely out of service.

In neighboring countries, water scarcity also is a major issue.

Morocco, where agriculture accounts for 13 percent of the gross domestic product, 14 percent of exports, and 33 percent of jobs, also suffered its worst drought in four decades in 2022.

For the use of these technologies to become widespread, however, Hbiri says the law needs to be changed in Tunisia and awareness raised.

Agencies via Xinhua