AgEagle’s Drone Imagery to Help Reduce Chemicals in Food

Most Food Manufacturers Are Not Set Up To Monitor How The Ingredients They Purchase From Farmers Are Treated And Handled In The Field, Yet Consumers Are Demanding Full Transparency And Accountability On The Chemical Treatment Of Their Food

In an effort to help farmers and agribusinesses better identify sustainability opportunities, AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. will use its expertise in high-resolution imagery capture to verify and validate best management practices. With the application of precision imagery and analytics, AgEagle will offer value from the farm gate to the retail outlet.

While less than 20% of companies in the S&P 500 reported on their sustainability initiatives in 2011, that number has increased significantly to 85% today. Many companies, including Fortune 500 corporations and major food manufacturers, are experiencing increased pressure from consumers to manage their businesses in a sustainable manner. Consumers aren’t just voicing their concerns, they are showing up with their wallets—Unilever recently reported that its sustainable living brands grew 46% faster than the rest of its brands.

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As a result, most major corporations have established sustainability committees or departments. These new departments often report directly to the CEO or board of directors to meet the expectations of the company’s consumers, customers and other stakeholders to maintain a secure and sustainable supply of agriculture ingredients that define their brands.

Most food manufacturers are not set up to monitor how the ingredients they purchase from farmers are treated and handled in the field, yet consumers are demanding full transparency and accountability on the chemical treatment of their food. That is where AgEagle comes in. Using the same suite of imagery capture and data analytics it developed for the precision agriculture market, AgEagle will help food manufacturers meet their sustainable farming initiatives by helping them reduce water usage and the chemicals that go into our food.

AgEagle’s product and data platform will be uniquely designed to support different corporations’ sustainability goals by tracking and documenting sustainability efforts on the farm.

“As the first drone-based aerial imagery company that intends to provide customized services to sustainability departments of major food companies, we will have the opportunity to define how sustainability on the farm is measured,” says Bret Chilcott, CEO of AgEagle. “By establishing the AgEagle Sustainable Field Index (ASFI) and working closely with the food manufacturer and the farmer, we can set a standard benchmark, track and measure progress on established goals and provide reporting data to demonstrate progress and influence watchdog assessment metrics.”

There is a history of watchdog pressure influencing corporate behavior, as many groups have fought and won numerous sustainability battles from workers’ rights to carbon emissions. Now, consumers and watchdog groups have set their sights on the agriculture industry and what they deem to be the arbitrary use of chemicals applied while growing our food without concerns for the repercussions of consuming these chemicals.