Do you know that up to 30% of fertilizers and pesticides are used unnecessarily, solely due to the lack of precision in their application? In the case of pesticides, it has been shown that they expose us to a higher risk of cancer than smoking. A similar situation occurs with nitrogen fertilizers, which accumulate in our food in the form of nitrates and eventually transform into highly carcinogenic nitrites in our bodies.

The solution to this problem is the education of farmers and the implementation of modern technologies in the field of precise fertilization and spraying. Achieving this goal is already available, among others, thanks to drones equipped with multispectral cameras, specialized software with AI elements (artificial intelligence), and working drones (performing spraying and fertilization).

Ultimately, this means that we have an impact on reducing this hazardious phenomenon to a significant extent.

My name is Arkadiusz Jędrzejczak, I am a Master of Science in Animal Science with a specialization in Environmental Protection in Rural Areas and a licensed UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) pilot (license number: POL-RP-90ea4ccf3e7b). I present an innovative project aimed at a sustainable future for agriculture.

Reducing the Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides

Our project focuses on reducing the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural production through advanced technologies. The area of agricultural land is approximately 105 million hectares, which is 25% of the European Union's surface area.  Arable lands mounts to 1.6 billion hectares worldwide. In 2023, globally, agriculture consumed 195.5 million tons of pure artificial fertilizers and 4.3 million tons of active ingredient pesticides. Thanks to drones with spectral  cameras and software with AI elements, we can reduce the usage of artificial fertilizers and pesticides by up to 30%. At the same time, thanks to the precision of fertilization and spraying treatments, we increase crops by an average of 5%, which generates  greater profitability for farms.

Ultimately, this leads to savings of hundreds of thousands of tons of artificial fertilizers and thousands of tons of pesticides on a national scale.

Education and Implementation of Modern Technologies

We want to introduce this innovative method but the obstacle is  that it is currently little known to agricultural producers and, as with everything new raising concerns. Therefore, a key element of the implementation is direct contact with farmers and their education in the field of innovative and modern technologies in agricultural production. The goal is to popularize methods of precise fertilizer application and pesticide spraying, where it is necessary.

Key Issues and Process Stages:

• Education on the use of modern remote sensing methods and drones in agriculture.
• Drone flights with a multispectral camera and precise mapping of crops.
• Processing data from the drone flight in specialized software with AI elements.
• One-time, free preparation of fertility and health maps for each farm.
• The next stage is to use data from fertility and health maps to create recommendations for precise fertilization and spraying.
• Using precise fertilization and spraying maps in working drones (performing spraying and fertilization).

Benefits for Health, the Environment, and the Wallet:

• Healthier food.
• Reduction of carcinogenic substances in our food.
• Reduction of contamination and degradation of soil and surface water.
• Reduction of energy, natural gas, and oil consumption in the production process of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.
• Increase in yield by about 5%.

Project Costs:

Purchase:

• Drones with multispectral / RGB / thermal cameras / working drones T50.
• Software and training in remote sensing.
• Electronic equipment.
• Portable generators and energy storage.
• Website.
• Educational materials for farmers.
• Necessary equipment for field operations.
• Lease of premises and its adaptation.

Implementation:

The project plans to cover a minimum of 120.000 hectares within 3 years. The implementation cost is only 10 euros / dollars per hectare (including educational materials, test flights, and one measurement flight along with the delivery of documentation in the form of fertility and health maps of crops and fertilizer and spraying recommendations for each farm).

The essence of the implementation process is to determine the optimal timing for drone measurements with a multispectral camera. This means conducting several measurement flights at different time intervals for each specific crop (cereals, rapeseed, corn, beets, and potatoes). The next step in this process will be developing procedures for processing the data collected from these measurement flights.

The final product of the implementation will be a ready-to-use procedure for the mentioned agricultural crops.

.Feedback:

1.     Listing every financial supporter on the list of founders.

2.     Providing feedback for each project supporter and, upon request, videos from the completed flights.

3.     After the project's completion, sharing comprehensive data regarding implementation processes and delivering a ready procedure for specific crops (useful in setting up a service company in this field).

We are asking for a financial support and the promotion of this project among your family and friends. Your help will contribute to achieving an important social goal – healthier and safer food and more sustainable and ecological agriculture. The beneficial impact of this solution will directly affect each of us.  The healthier the food the greater the benefits for our health.

Thank you in advance to everyone for supporting and promoting this innovative project.

Arkadiusz Jędrzejczak