Agricultural Drone Market by Component (Hardware and Software), by Drone Type (Fixed-Wing Drones, Rotary Blade Drones, and Hybrid Drones), by Payload Capacity (Lightweight, Medium Weight, and Heavy Weight), by Operation Mode (Manual Operation and Autonomous Operation), by Application (Crop Monitoring, Crop Spraying, Precision Agriculture, Livestock Monitoring, Soil Analysis, Irrigation Management, Agricultural Mapping and Surveying, and Others), and – Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2024-2030

Market Definition

The global Agricultural Drone Market size was valued at USD 3.77 billion in 2023 and is predicted to reach USD 14.23 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 20.3% from 2024-2030. Agricultural drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which come with sensors and are used for various agricultural applications, including smart greenhouses, precision farming, horticulture, and forestry.

Agriculture drones are designed to optimize agricultural operational efficiency, crop production, and crop growth monitoring. They are equipped with sensors and digital imaging capabilities such as cameras and LIDAR, which can provide insights into crop health, soil conditions, and others. 

Market Dynamics and Trends

An increase in the global population leads to a scarcity of arable land. Precision agriculture practices are becoming increasingly important to maximize the productivity of available land. Agricultural drones are at the forefront of precision agriculture, allowing farmers to precisely apply fertilizers, pesticides, and other resources, reducing waste, and enhancing overall efficiency.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), global food production needs to be increased by 70% to avoid threats to a stable economy and meet the growing demand for food. Agricultural drones play a crucial role in working toward this ambitious goal by making farming smarter and more efficient.

In addition, the agro-food sector in regions including East Asia and Mexico is struggling with labor shortages, owing to low wages and limited career prospects, resulting in decreased public interest in the industry. Agricultural drones are gaining importance as a potential solution to address these challenges, which further propels market growth.

For instance, in April 2023, Tevel Aerobatics, Israel, introduced the Advanced Autonomous fruit-picking drone. These drones are driven by cutting-edge guidance, gathering real-time harvesting data for each fruit they pick, and have control algorithms that provide accuracy and precision while harvesting. This aims to enhance quality and help in efficient harvesting even during a shortage of workers for fields.

Moreover, shifts in climate patterns marked by unpredictable weather events, altered precipitation, and rise in temperatures have made traditional farming difficult.  Hence, to combat this challenge, businesses are investing in advanced agricultural drones, which help them to get real-time data on crop health and moisture levels.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), global climate change impacts such as increased temperatures and altered precipitation patterns might reduce global crop yields by approximately 10% by 2030. The agricultural drone market is experiencing growth as farmers seek innovative solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture.

However, the agricultural drone market is restrained by frontier technology issues, such as data overload and collection errors in the agro-food sector. These challenges result in data misprocessing, hampering the market's possible growth during the forecast period.

On the contrary, advancements in autonomous technologies for cultivation, including artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, which can help farmers save more time and achieve better crop yields. This aims to enable farmers to analyze large amounts of data and develop yield prediction algorithms using weather, and image recognition algorithms for pest detection in plants. These advancements are expected to create ample opportunities for the agricultural drone market in the future.

Market Segmentation and Scope of Study

The agricultural drone market is segmented based on component, drone type, payload capacity, operation mode, application, and region. By component, the market is divided into hardware and software. The hardware segment is further divided into cameras, batteries, navigation systems, and others. The software segment is further segmented into data management, imaging, data analytics, and others.

By drone type, the market is separated into fixed-wings, rotary blades, and hybrid. By payload capacity, the market is segregated into light-weight, medium-weight, and heavy-weight. By operation mode, the market is divided into manual operation and autonomous operation.

Based on application, the market is classified into crop monitoring, crop spraying, precision agriculture, livestock monitoring, soil analysis, irrigation management, agricultural mapping surveying, and other applications. Regional breakdown and analysis of each of the aforementioned segments include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW).

Geographical Analysis

North America holds a dominant share of the agricultural drone market and is expected to continue the same during the forecast period. This is attributed to the presence of major agricultural tech companies that are constantly developing advanced agricultural drones, equipped with the latest spray and mapping technology.

For instance, in August 2023, Hylio, a U.S.-based company that provides proprietary, crop-spraying UAV systems and other agriculturally based technologies, launched AG-272, with a built-in 18-gallon tank that holds the capacity of spraying up hundreds of acres per day. This development is serving the requirement of large-capacity spray drones in the market.

Moreover, the adoption of 5G technology in North America significantly boosts the agricultural drone market in the region. The use of 5G enables seamless communication between drones and data processing centers, allowing for real-time data collection, analysis, and decision-making, making agricultural drone operations more efficient and precise.  

For instance, in September 2022, Ericsson and the Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Advanced Wireless (AERPAW) collaborated to advance 5G technology for drone operations in smart agriculture. This collaboration emphasizes the potential of 5G-enabled drones to enhance efficiency, cut costs, and optimize crop yields.

On the other hand, Asia-Pacific is experiencing rapid growth in the agricultural drone market, driven by collaborations and partnerships between drone manufacturers and agricultural companies. These strategies lead to the introduction of innovative agricultural technologies, including automated agricultural drones, boosting farming capacity in the region.

For instance, in February 2023, XAG Co., Ltd, a leading drone manufacturer collaborated with Chia Tai Group, operating in the agriculture and food industries to launch a fully autonomous agricultural drone in Thailand. The collaboration aims to raise the capacity of Thai farmers and improve production and quality of harvest with the implementation of agricultural drones. 

Moreover, the growth of the agricultural drone market of the region is fueled by initiatives promoting drone adoption, offering subsidies and guidelines in countries including India and China. For Instance, in January 2022, the Indian Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare introduced guidelines under the "Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization" (SMAM) to promote the use of drone technology in agriculture.

The guidelines offer up to 100% of the cost of agricultural drones and funding for institutions to initiate large-scale demonstrations of drone technology among farmers. The move aims to improve cultivation technologies and empower farmers to adapt to specific environments and make relevant choices in regulating crop health and treatments.

Competitive Landscape

Various market players operating in the agricultural drone market are Shenzhen DJI Technology Co., Ltd, XAG Co., Ltd., Parrot SA, Hylio, AeroVironment, lnc., Trimble Inc., Microdrones, Terra Drone Corporation, Agribotix LLC, American Robotics, Inc., and others. These market players are engaging in diverse product launches to remain dominant in the global market.

For Instance, in July 2023, XAG Co., Ltd., introduced P100 Pro, a fully automated solution that has an advanced electric unmanned aerial system designed for agricultural tasks such as precise seeding, crop spraying, and others. It can hold up to 50 kg of payload capacity and aims to reduce production costs and address risks such as lack of nutrients, helping farmers maintain quality and production of crops.

Moreover, in November 2022, Shenzhen DJI Technology Co., Ltd., launched the Mavic 3 Multispectral drone, which is equipped with a multispectral imaging system. The drone is designed for precision agriculture and environmental monitoring. It aims to help farmers improve the quality and efficiency of their production, reduce costs, and increase income while promoting the development of modern agriculture.

Key Benefits

• The report provides quantitative analysis and estimations of the agricultural drone market from 2024 to 2030, which assists in identifying the prevailing market opportunities.

• The study comprises a deep-dive analysis of the agricultural drone market including the current and future trends to depict prevalent investment pockets in the market.

• Information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities and their impact on the agricultural drone market is provided in the report.

• A competitive analysis of the players, along with their market share is provided in the report.

• SWOT analysis and Porter's Five Forces model is elaborated in the study.

• Value chain analysis in the market study provides a clear picture of roles of stakeholders.

Agriculture Drones Market Key Segments

By Component

• Hardware

  • Cameras

  • Batteries

  • Navigation Systems

  • others 

• Software 

  • Data management

  • Imaging

  • Data analytics

  • Other

By Drone Type 

• Fixed-Wing Drones

• Rotary Blade Drones

• Hybrid Drones

By Payload Capacity 

• Light-Weight

• Medium-Weight

• Heavy-Weight 

By Operation Mode

• Manual Operation

• Autonomous Operation

By Application

• Crop Monitoring

• Crop Spraying

• Precision Agriculture

• Livestock Monitoring

• Soil Analysis

• Irrigation Management

• Agricultural Mapping and Surveying

• Others

By Region

• North America

  • The U.S.

  • Canada

  • Mexico

• Europe

  • The U.K.

  • Germany

  • France        

  • Italy        

  • Spain        

  • Denmark        

  • Netherlands        

  • Finland        

  • Sweden        

  • Norway        

  • Russia        

  • Rest of Europe

• Asia-Pacific

  • China

  • Japan

  • India

  • South Korea

  • Australia

  • Indonesia

  • Singapore

  • Taiwan

  • Thailand

  • Rest of Asia-Pacific

• Rest of the World (RoW)

  • Latin America

  • Middle East

  • Africa

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