PHILIPPINES / FARMING DRONES

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is helping farmers in the Philippines be better prepared and assess damages caused by extreme weather events with the use of drones. FAO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:32
• Production Date: 15 October 2018
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION - FAO
• Subject Topical: FARMING; TECHNOLOGY
• Geographic Subject: PHILIPPINES
• MAMS Id: 2268614
• Parent Id: 2268614
• Alternate Title: unifeed181016a

Description

STORY: PHILIPPINES / FARMING DRONES
TRT: 3:32
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / TAGALOG / NATS

DATELINE: 02 JULY 2018, PAMPANGA PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

Shotlist

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Drone shots, crops
2. Tracking, Farmer walking in water
3. Med shot, farmers harvesting the crop
4. Wide shot, ox-drawn cart
5. Close up, farmer waters crop
6. Med shot, farmer harvesting crop
7. Wide shot, wind blowing through plants
8. Various shots, farmer reaping harvest
9. SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Guillermo Fajardo Reyes, farmer:
"When there's a calamity, we get very nervous and worried that our crops will be destroyed because they are our main source of income. Our crops pay for our children's education and we stock up on our food when there are no other job opportunities available."
10. Tracking Aduna walking down road
11. Various shots, Aduna speaking to Reyes
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Abet Aduna, Emergency Coordinator in the Philippines, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"If they are not able to plant in the next cropping season, then the next cropping will already be about a year before they can harvest the next cycle. That would mean that for a year they will be food insecure and they have no income to buy other household needs."
13. Various shots, people mounting drones
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ariel Langcauon, Technical Assistant, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"With this drone the work of the staff of DA (Department of Agriculture) will be much easier. Because this helps a lot. It's like eyes in the sky. So, what the staff cannot see on the ground, the drone can see up above."
15. Med shot, Ignacio handling drone
16. Various shots, team launching drone
17. Aerial shot, fields
18. Various stills, fields
19. Zoom in, map of fields on computer screen
20. Close up, Ignacio
21. Close up, hands on drone remote control
22. Wide shot, drone flying
23. SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Don Peter Ignacio, Project Assistant, Department of Agriculture Central Office, Philippines:
"So when we use the drone to see the vegetation and crop health we are able to advise farmers what steps are needed to make them healthy again and then at the same time, if there is a calamity coming we are able to instruct the farmers in advance if they should harvest their crops earlier than expected so that they can save the crops before the calamity, or typhoon hits."
24. Tilt up, drone taking off
25. Various shots, team launching drone
26. Aerial shot, field
27. Wide shot, screen showing satellite images of typhoon
28. Various shots, people in a dark room observing satellite images and aerial pictures on screen

Storyline

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is helping farmers in the Philippines be better prepared and assess damages caused by extreme weather events with the use of drones.

The Philippines is often struck by extreme weather events. Farmers are worst affected as their crops are destroyed, and their livelihoods threatened.

SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Guillermo Fajardo Reyes, farmer:
"When there's a calamity, we get very nervous and worried that our crops will be destroyed because they are our main source of income. Our crops pay for our children's education and we stock up on our food when there are no other job opportunities available."

FAO Emergency Coordinator in the Philippines Abet Aduna said the country faces what is called a cycle of poverty. He explained that if farmers “are not able to plant in the next cropping season, then the next cropping will already be about a year before they can harvest the next cycle; that would mean that for a year they will be food insecure and they have no income to buy other household needs."

FAO said it is providing training on the use of drones to help the Ministry of Agriculture assess damages caused by extreme weather events. This means reaching farmers faster and helping them more effectively.

SOUNDBITE (English) Ariel Langcauon, Technical Assistant, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"With this drone the work of the staff of DA (Department of Agriculture) will be much easier. Because basically this helps a lot. It's like eyes in the sky. So, what the staff cannot see on the ground, the drone can see up above."

FAO said the drones not only quickly assess damages when disaster strikes, but also assess pest outbreaks. Fixed-wing drones can cover up to 200 hectares in 30 minutes, while a person can cover only 7 hectares per day.

The drones also capture both RBG and near-infrared images which could show the vegetation health of crops and pest infestation levels.

SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Don Peter Ignacio, Project Assistant, Department of Agriculture Central Office, Philippines:
"So when we use the drone to see the vegetation and crop health we are able to advise farmers what steps are needed to make them healthy again and then at the same time, if there is a calamity coming we are able to instruct the farmers in advance if they should harvest their crops earlier than expected so that they can save the crops before the calamity, or typhoon hits."

FAO said it also uses satellites to monitor incoming typhoons and inform farmers on best practices to avoid the loss of their crops. FAO said satellite images also help in longer-term monitoring of potential crop yields.