FARMING TAKES FLIGHT

As Drones Deliver a New Dawn for Zambia

FROM the golden maize fields of Eastern Province to the green veins of cassava in Luapula, a silent transformation is soaring across Zambia’s skies—a revolution not fought with shovels or sickles, but with the whirr of propellers and the precision of pixels. This is the new face of farming. This is agriculture, reimagined.

In a country where over 60% of the population tills the soil for a living, and where climate change has turned seasons into a gamble, an unlikely hero is emerging: the drone. Once dismissed as tech toys for the rich, drones are now becoming the wings on which Zambia’s food security may depend.

“The days of hand-and-hoe are behind us,” says Calvin Kaleyi, Sales and Marketing Manager at Agroventure Investments Ltd, his voice resolute amidst the buzz of innovation at the 2025 Agritech Expo in Chisamba. “If we don’t adapt, we’ll be left behind—along with our low yields.”

A Skyward Solution to Ground-Level Problems

For years, smallholder farmers in Zambia have fought an uphill battle against unpredictable rains, relentless pests like the fall armyworm, and outdated practices that no longer match the scale of modern-day challenges. But with drones, these battles are no longer fought blindly.

“We’ve seen farmers lose entire fields overnight due to pest outbreaks,” Kaleyi explains. “Drones allow us to act fast. If there's an infestation, we can deploy a drone and spray hectares within minutes. It's surgical, it's precise, and it's saving livelihoods.”

These flying marvels are equipped with more than just chemical tanks—they’re armed with multispectral cameras, thermal sensors, and GPS technology, turning every flight into a data-rich mission. From detecting plant stress to predicting harvest yields, drones are giving farmers something they’ve lacked for generations: foresight.

From Hardship to High-Tech Hope

Imagine this: A small-scale farmer in Chipata receives a drone service alert about early signs of pest stress in her maize field. Instead of waiting for visible damage or a government extension officer days away, she deploys a drone—efficient, accurate, and immediate. Her crop is saved. Her season is secured. Her dignity, preserved.

“We’re not just targeting large-scale commercial farms,” says Kaleyi. “Every farmer matters. That’s why we offer drone services per hectare, at prices even small-scale growers can afford.”

Feeding the Nation with Code, Courage, and Commitment

In Zambia, where each failed crop can mean empty bowls at dinner tables, technology isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline. And it’s no longer fiction.

“With drones, we’re able to anticipate locust movements and drought patterns before they hit,” says Dr. Kelvin Zulu, an agricultural innovation expert at the University of Zambia. “This isn’t just progress—it’s a revolution.”

In the age of data, where food security hangs in the balance, every byte of information gathered from the skies is a seed of resilience planted on the ground.

A New Dawn Above the Dust

The sun rises differently now over Zambia’s fields. Its light catches not just the green of crops, but the silhouette of drones humming overhead—a new kind of sunrise, powered by innovation and grounded in hope.

Where once farmers prayed for rain and protection, now they also reach for controllers, tablets, and flight plans. And in their hands lies the future—not just of farming, but of a nation learning to feed itself through intelligence and ingenuity.

“This is the time to embrace this technology,” Kaleyi urges. “To protect our crops. To secure our food. To build a future where no child goes to bed hungry.”

In every flight path etched above Zambia’s farmland lies a story of transformation—from dust to digital, from backbreaking toil to tech-powered triumph. And that story is just beginning to take flight.