Maghreb farmers embrace drones to fight climate change

April 10, 2023

4 minutes read

Maghreb farmers embrace drones to fight climate change

The black unmanned aircraft, equipped with a multi-lens camera and sensors, has been enlisted by Tunisian farmers to help adapt to years of drought and erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.

“The seasons are not like they were before where we knew exactly what to do,” said farmer Yassine Gargouri, noting temperatures now can begin to climb as early as May while in August there have been unusual summer rains.

He hired start-up RoboCare to scan the trees from the air and assess their hydration levels, soil quality and overall health — to prevent irreversible damage.

The technology “provides us with information on how much water each plant needs, no more, no less”, he said.

The use of modern technologies in agriculture is globally on the rise, including in North Africa where countries rank among the world’s 33 most water-stressed, according to the World Resources Institute.

RoboCare, employing about 10 people, is the only company in Tunisia, according to its 35-year-old founder Imen Hbiri, to use drones to help farmers combat the impacts of climate change and reduce costs, crop losses and water consumption.

“Resorting to modern technologies in the sector of agriculture has become inevitable,” Hbiri told AFP while monitoring the drone’s path on her computer screen.

-‘Challenge of tomorrow’-

The daughter of farmers, the entrepreneur knows well the limits of existing farming methods.

Now, in just a few clicks, she can access scans that detect signs of illness or malnourishment before they are visible to the naked eye.

On the screen, fields appear in RGB (red, green, blue) imagery — the greener the plants, the healthier.

Farmers can then use medicine-filled sprinklers mounted to the drones to target the sickly plants with more precision and consequently less expense.

“By relying on this technology, we can save water consumption by up to 30 percent and reduce about 20 percent of the cost of fertilisers and medicine, while raising crop production by 30 percent”, Hbiri explained.

Gargouri, who spends about 80 percent of his budget on fertilisers and other remedies, says this technology is the future.

“We must adapt to these upheavals,” Gargouri added. “It’s the challenge of tomorrow”.

Tunisia is currently experiencing its eighth year of drought (four of which were consecutive) in recent years, according to its agriculture ministry.

The country’s dams, which are the primary source for drinking water and irrigating crops, are currently only filled to about 22 percent capacity.

And about 20 dams — mostly located in the south — have gone completely out of service.

In neighbouring countries, water scarcity is also a major issue.

– Licensing hurdles –

Morocco — where agriculture accounts for 13 percent of the gross domestic product, 14 percent of exports and 33 percent of jobs — also suffered its worst drought in four decades in 2022.

Only about three percent of nearly two million Moroccan farmers use new technologies in their fields, Loubna El Mansouri, director of the digital centre at Morocco’s agriculture ministry, told AFP.

A study they conducted found that using drones to water crops could use “less than 20 litres of water to irrigate one hectare compared to nearly 300 litres” used with traditional methods, Mansouri added.

Similarly, Algeria’s agriculture ministry said it was using drones and satellite imagery for mapping “to optimise the use of agricultural land by evaluating its characteristics and suitability for production”, local media reported.

For the use of these technologies to become widespread, however, Hbiri says the law needs to be changed in Tunisia and awareness raised.

Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia ban the use of unmanned drones without a permit, which in the case of commercial uses can take months to be issued.

Hbiri hopes authorities will help start-ups reach more farmers as she estimates “only 10 percent of farmers in Tunisia depend on this type of technology”.

“We want to focus our work on the use of technology and not spend time and effort on administrative issues and moving between departments and banks, which is slowing our progress,” she said.

Share:
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Related Links

COMESA

COMESA Digital Payments: Platform Transforms Trade in 2025

On October 10, 2025, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Zamtel ...

Catholic Church

Kenya Altar Wine: Catholic Church Unveils New Sacramental Drink

On October 4, 2025, the Kenyan Catholic Church introduced a new Kenya altar wine for ...

WHO

WHO Urges India to Strengthen Drug Safety After Child Deaths

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised serious concerns about weaknesses in India’s pharmaceutical regulations. ...

Peru

Peru Impeaches President Boluarte Amid Unrest

On October 10, 2025, Peru’s Congress removed President Dina Boluarte from office. A late-night session ...

Features

Countries Aircraft

African Countries with the Largest Military Aircraft Fleets in 2025

Africa’s military aircraft fleets are key for defense, surveillance, and peacekeeping. In 2025, several nations ...

Countries

Top 10 African Countries with Best Salaries in 2025

Africa’s job market is growing fast. In 2025, some countries offer great pay. This list ...

Kanye West

New Documentary Explores Kanye West’s Turbulent Journey

A new documentary, In Whose Name?, directed by Nico Ballesteros, offers an intimate look at ...

japa

Top 9 African Countries Sending Immigrants to the United States

Africa’s influence in the United States continues to expand through immigration. Many individuals from the ...

GOLD_3_6

Top 10 Countries Benefiting from Gold Trading in 2025

Gold trading drives wealth for nations with large reserves. In 2025, countries with significant gold ...

FNB-Stadium

Top 10 Most Expensive Stadiums in Africa for 2025

Africa’s sports infrastructure shines with world-class stadiums built for football, rugby, and major events. These ...

Gold

Top Gold-Producing Countries in Africa for 2025

Africa remains a global leader in gold production, contributing significantly to the world’s supply. In ...

digital-nomad-visa

Top 10 Digital Nomad Visa Countries for 2025

As remote work continues to thrive, digital nomad visas offer professionals the chance to live ...

Latest News

Today in History

Error: cURL error 28: Connection timed out after 5001 milliseconds

Exchange Rate Per Dollar

AM Armenian Dram381.3255
GH Ghana Cedi12.2107
GM Gambian Dalasi72
GN Guinea Franc8,645.55
NG Nigerian Naira₦1,464.04
CF CFA Franc BEAC565.4171
13 Oct · CurrencyRate · USD
CurrencyRate.Today
Check: 13 Oct 2025 00:05 UTC
Latest change: 13 Oct 2025 00:00 UTC
API: CurrencyRate
Disclaimers. This plugin or website cannot guarantee the accuracy of the exchange rates displayed. You should confirm current rates before making any transactions that could be affected by changes in the exchange rates.
You can install this WP plugin on your website from the WordPress official website: Exchange Rates🚀

YOUR THOUGHTS

Let us know what you think

Contact the People’s Paper with feedback on stories and how we could make wapress.africa even better!

newsletter image

Stay up to date with the latest from West Africa Press

Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on WApress.

Subscribe Newsletter!

Be the first to receive our latest contents and more...

Need help?