Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): an adoptable technology for precise and smart farming

Abstract The global population is rapidly increasing, so there is a critical requirement to satisfy the food production demand. Conventional methods of agriculture are inadequate to meet building demand which leads to declining farming sector and adaptable to other industries. Most of the farming activities are highly dependent on the labor which leads to increase in cost and time of operation. The rapid growth of mechanization for all farm activities cannot completely reduce the human involvement. As a result, agricultural automation is critically important. In terms of automation, this study emphasizes the crucial role of UAVs in precision and smart agriculture. The adoption of drones for various farm operations has the possibility to minimize labor requirements as well as operational time. This review provides overview of conceptual design, command flow operation, Micro-controller boards, remote-control systems and attachments like sensors, cameras, motors in UAVs for the purpose of automation in farm activities. The Internet of Things (IoT) employed in UAVs with image processing and machine learning algorithms provides accurate and precision results in farm activities. Furthermore, this study discusses future advancements, limitations and challenges for farmers in adapting to UAVs. Graphical Abstract