Drones Help Yilan's Farmers Manage Their Crops
Farmers and students in Taiwan's northeastern Yilan County are using drones to improve harvests. The program is also designed to make up for labor shortages stemming from the country's aging population.
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00:00 This project in Taiwan's northeastern county of Yilan is starting to bear fruit.
00:06 Farmers here are using drones to improve rice harvests.
00:09 It's the culmination of a two-year collaboration between farmers and students at a local university.
00:15 In addition to increasing yields, the drones also help with crop irrigation, fertilization
00:20 and data collection.
00:22 But despite the apparent benefits, the farmers needed some convincing.
00:25 "When young people are brought in with technology, they sometimes have doubts.
00:31 After a long-term communication, we can show them the results."
00:39 But the project is designed to tackle a different growing problem in Taiwan - its aging population.
00:45 The country is set to become a super-age society by 2025, and rural areas have been particularly
00:51 affected.
00:53 Using drones like these will help to make up for local labor shortages, and some also
00:56 hope the opportunity to work with new technology will attract more young people into agriculture.
01:01 "The main reason we set up this drone base is to encourage young people to come back
01:06 to Taiwan.
01:07 We hope that local farmers can form a group and support each other."
01:14 Using drones also has environmental benefits, such as helping to reduce waste.
01:19 "We can use drones to help reduce waste by reducing the amount of fertilizer we use."
01:26 Elon's farmers hope the success of their drone project will till the soil for similar
01:30 endeavors in the country.
01:31 But for now, they're happy to be reaping the rewards for plowing new ground.
01:36 Justin Wu and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.
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