The role of drones in agriculture was discussed at the Web Summit on Tuesday in Dublin.

Jono Millin of Drone Deploy lead the talk, focusing on the potential savings that can be made by using drones on larger farms. In some farms in Japan, large drones are used to spread fertiliser.

“Drones are cheap labour in the sky,” he said, using the example of a tillage farmer in South Dakota, USA, growing potatoes. By using drones, the farmer could see which variety worked best and identify planting issues.

Two fields are shown in the photos below. Red indicates that the potatoes are damaged, as there was a flood in South Dakota when the data was captured.

The areas in green show the crops that thrived. By zooming in on the images, the farmer was able to uncover planting issues through gaps in the rows, which could save him thousands of dollars in the next season.

Jono said drones are going to become more common on farms, with the most popular model available for €1,000.

Food summit

Meanwhile, Good Food Ireland’s Food Summit is being held in Herberts Park near the RDS. Some 30 chefs will showcase the best of Irish produce at the event. With delegates from 134 countries, it’s a lucrative opportunity for the Irish food industry.

Founder of Good Food Ireland Margaret Jeffares said the partnership has given restaurateurs, food producers and farmers an opportunity to showcase their produce to the world.

“It’s great to give international visitors an amazing food experience and show them that we have a cuisine. It’s not all bacon and cabbage. It’s Irish produce, so it’s a cultural food experience,” she said.

Listen to Aisling Hussey's interview with Margaret Jeffares in our podcast below:

The Web Summit takes place in the RDS from 3-5 November, with leaders from the tech and media worlds sharing their insights on a broad range of matters. Over 40,000 people from across the world are expected to attend the event, which will move to Lisbon in 2016.