Ten Kenyans are currently undergoing training to infuse drone technology into their farming activities.
The youths aged between 18-35 were selected out of 122 applicants for the Kenyan Agri-drone Business Competition.
Of the 122 that applied for the program from 24 counties, 25 were selected and were engaged virtually for five days.
It was from the 25 that the 10 finalists were selected with the best ideas on technology in Agriculture.
The 10 will be engaged physically from March 16-18 for training on drone technology.
"The Kenyan Drone Business Competition, organised in partnership with Global Air Drone Academy and Kenya Flying Labs, aims to foster innovation and develop the entrepreneurial abilities of young technology entrepreneurs in Kenya," Co-founder of Global Air Drone Academy Eno Umoh said.
He said this year's edition is centred around the use of drone technology in agriculture and food security including; forestry, precision agriculture, AI detection, insurance claims assessments, livestock management and food delivery.
The KDBC training program will run till June.
Umoh said the 10 participants have a chance to learn from seasoned drone professionals and will cover a range of topics including how to apply drone technology to practical solutions, safe drone operation, using drones to combat food insecurity and the fundamentals of launching a successful drone business.
The application portal was opened on January 10 for five weeks.
The 10 finalists will have an opportunity to pitch their business plans to a panel of judges.
The judges will select three winners who will each receive a Remote Pilot License (RPL) training through a scholarship to an approved drone training academy.
They will also receive drones and Cinema kits donated by Skydio, a leading U.S. drone manufacturer and training resources with Drone Deploy licenses from Drone Deploy.
Finally, the winners will get free admission into Dronector’s Training Academy from Dronector, a leading drone technology training organisation in East Africa.
"This partnership will not only provide valuable training resources and support for the participants, but it will also help advance the use of drone technology in the agriculture sector and promote sustainable food security," Umoh said.
He also said the agricultural sector in the country employs more than 40 per cent of the total population and 70 per cent of the rural population.
"It also contributes to 33 per cent of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product. However, agricultural productivity has stagnated in recent years," Umoh said.
"We saw an opportunity to not only get into the drone industry on the commercial side, but we wanted to also give back and train the next generation on the drone uses and technology that are emerging in several different fields."
He said they want the trainees to understand the need for drone safety, and integration of drone technology into the national airspace, and that drones are not toys but are aircraft that are guided by rules on how to operate.
The drones will be used in agriculture to spray over crops and monitor crop and livestock conditions from the air as they have cameras incorporated in them.