Environmental safety problems of swarm use of UAVs in precision agriculture

¹ Krasnoyarsk Science and Technology City Hall of the Russian Union of Scientific and Engineering Public Associations, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
² Krasnoyarsk State Agrarian University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
³ National Research University "Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers", Tashkent, Uzbekistan
⁴ Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
⁵ Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
⁶ Sochi State University, Sochi, Russia

^* Corresponding author: alena.yabl@yandex.ru

Abstract

Digital technologies are an integral part of the functioning of many sectors of the state, which applies, in particular, to the agricultural sector, which plays a significant role in shaping the state’s economy, ensuring food independence and export potential. One of the promising areas of digital transformation is the swarm use of unmanned aerial vehicles in precision agriculture, the use of which significantly increases productivity while reducing production costs. Analysis of the transport and technological cycles of UAVs allows us to identify a number of existing problems in the swarm use of UAVs that are associated with anthropogenic impact. The article examines the potential impact of unmanned aerial vehicles on the environment, analyzing such aspects as noise and vibration emissions, air and soil pollution, electromagnetic radiation, and the impact on biodiversity and ecosystems in general. The study is aimed at identifying key environmental problems, identifying ways to minimize and solve them. The authors offer recommendations for ensuring environmental safety and sustainable development of precision agriculture with the swarm use of unmanned systems.