Drones, Data, and Smarter Crops: The Future of Sustainable Farming

Drone images of research field. The 18 lysimeters are arranged in groups of 6 (3 by 2) and measure water uptake by the plants.

An article by Setareh Alamdar

Farmers face a tough challenge in today’s changing climate. As they strive for the highest possible crop yields, they must also contend with increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. To keep their farms resilient, productive, and sustainable, they need to understand how their crops "breathe" and move water around. This is why studying evapotranspiration (ET) is so important.

Evapotranspiration is the combined process of water loss through plant transpiration and soil evaporation, representing the total amount of water lost from a farmland ecosystem. 

So how do scientists gather information about ET? This is where the story becomes interesting. You may be familiar with people using drones to capture neat photos, but they are also amazing tools for science. Picture drones flying over fields, capturing high-resolution images of the crops from every angle. These images, combined with data from big lysimeters—devices buried in the soil that measure how much water plants are really using—create a detailed picture of what's happening on the farm. This data is then fed into powerful machine learning models that analyze it and reveal patterns we couldn’t see before.

Think of it like this: the drones give us a bird's-eye view of the farm, showing us where plants are thriving or struggling, while the lysimeters dig deep to tell us how much water is moving through the soil. Together, these tools along with machine learning, provide powerful predictions about how different crops will behave under various environmental conditions. It’s like giving farmers a smart assistant that helps them know exactly how much water their plants need, when to water them, and how to maximize crop yields—all while conserving precious water resources.

This technology has the potential to not only assist farmers in daily decision making but also to shape the future of farming. By integrating these tools, agriculture can become smarter, more efficient, and more resilient. These advancements could drive technological solutions, support sustainable practices, and encourage the development of policies that promote long-term, sustainable solutions. Ultimately, this approach aims to enhance global food security while reducing environmental impact.

The effort to better understand ET is part of the SOLUTIONSCAPES project, which promotes sustainable agricultural practices, such as cover cropping, to improve water quality and address climate change. Our findings will benefit both farmers and the broader agricultural sector, including government agencies, by helping the sector allocate water efficiently, plan for irrigation, and prepare for potential droughts.

Through this work, we hope to uncover new insights into the relationship between crops, water, and carbon exchange, enabling farmers to make informed decisions that maintain productivity and sustainability in a changing climate.