Farmer Lingiwe Ravasingadi from Kwekwe uses drones to fight the African armyworm. These flying machines help her protect her crops from bugs that eat plants.
Drones fly without a person inside them. They have cameras and tools that spray bug killers. The farmer controls them from the ground. These machines can find exactly where the bad bugs are and spray just those spots, saving money on chemicals and helping the earth stay clean.
Ms Ravasingadi feels good about her farm even with the pest problem. The heavy rains helped her crops grow well. Her corn plants are making milk inside the ears. She thinks she will grow 10 tons of corn on each hectare of her 120-hectare farm. She did well because she used good farming methods, and the drones stopped the bugs from eating her plants.
She said they picked drones because they needed to cover all 120 hectares fast. The bugs were hurting her corn plants, which were growing tall with milk forming inside. She pays $20 for each hectare sprayed by drones. This costs less than using a tractor to spray the fields, and drones work faster. The drone company comes from Harare because Kwekwe has no drone businesses yet.
Besides corn, Ms Ravasingadi grows Proteas flowers on half a hectare. She started farming for money three years ago and makes good cash from it. Her farm employs 30 people. If her business grows bigger, she can hire more local people.
Leonard Munamati, who runs Agriculture and Rural Advisory Services, tells other farmers to use new tools like drones. He says they work very well against pests. The Zimbabwe government bought 10 drones and sent them around the country to help farmers fight bugs. This helps ensure everyone has enough food.
Farm boss Busiso Olga Mavankeni said the African armyworm has appeared in three areas: Chirumhanzu, Zvishavane, and Mberengwa. Drones help keep these bugs from eating all the crops.
Drones fly without a person inside them. They have cameras and tools that spray bug killers. The farmer controls them from the ground. These machines can find exactly where the bad bugs are and spray just those spots, saving money on chemicals and helping the earth stay clean.
Ms Ravasingadi feels good about her farm even with the pest problem. The heavy rains helped her crops grow well. Her corn plants are making milk inside the ears. She thinks she will grow 10 tons of corn on each hectare of her 120-hectare farm. She did well because she used good farming methods, and the drones stopped the bugs from eating her plants.
She said they picked drones because they needed to cover all 120 hectares fast. The bugs were hurting her corn plants, which were growing tall with milk forming inside. She pays $20 for each hectare sprayed by drones. This costs less than using a tractor to spray the fields, and drones work faster. The drone company comes from Harare because Kwekwe has no drone businesses yet.
Besides corn, Ms Ravasingadi grows Proteas flowers on half a hectare. She started farming for money three years ago and makes good cash from it. Her farm employs 30 people. If her business grows bigger, she can hire more local people.
Leonard Munamati, who runs Agriculture and Rural Advisory Services, tells other farmers to use new tools like drones. He says they work very well against pests. The Zimbabwe government bought 10 drones and sent them around the country to help farmers fight bugs. This helps ensure everyone has enough food.
Farm boss Busiso Olga Mavankeni said the African armyworm has appeared in three areas: Chirumhanzu, Zvishavane, and Mberengwa. Drones help keep these bugs from eating all the crops.
