How Drones are Making Farming More Inclusive by Reducing Labor Intensity — The Story of Ainem

The use of Agriculture Drones helps to make agriculture more inclusive by reducing labor intensity. And here is one of the user story.

Aniem is a professional agricultural drone pilot residing in a rice-growing area near Penang, Malaysia. She sprays and sows the fields of her family farm while also providing plant protection services to neighboring villagers. Aniem is the mother of two children and is expecting her third child soon.

Image of Aniem, her children and the Agras T20

Purchased a T16 in 2020 and a T20 a year later, Aniem operates in a rice area where the main season runs from February to August. Each workday is divided into two periods, morning and afternoon, from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon and from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Aniem was introduced to agricultural drones through her family and friends in the same village and found it interesting.

"When I saw the agricultural drone for the first time, I became interested, because it is very helpful for the management of our family farm,” said Aniem.

When first introduced to agricultural drones, Aniem was initially hesitant and nervous. However, after seeking advice from experienced villagers, she quickly learned that operating the machinery was not as difficult as she thought. With guidance from her friends, Aniem mastered the essentials of operation and was able to adjust the flight speed and spraying mode to work at the right farming time and place.

Recalling how she felt when she first learned agricultural drone, Aniem said: “No matter you what your gender is, you can master the operation techniques with passion and a willingness to learn.”

Aniem has opened a Tiktok account to showcase her daily work in plant protection services. With the integration of agricultural drones, this has become a significant source of income for her. According to Aniem, the use of agriculture drones not only saves money in the long run but also reduces the burden on her husband.

On the local New Year's Day, Aniem's family portrait featured their agricultural drone. Aniem shared that the drone has significantly increased rice production while saving on manpower, time, and pesticide costs. What used to take 2 hours to manually spray a hectare of rice fields for insect removal, now only takes 20 minutes with the use of agricultural drones.

"Farmers like us really should switch to a more modern farming model." Aniem is very optimistic about the prospects of agriculture drones.