UAVs in Multi-Disciplinary Agricultural Research and Outreach: Cutting-Edge Technology for Real World Water Challenges
College of Agricultural Sciences
Colorado Water Center, but also CAS through Ag Experiment Station
Mesa
County
- Natural Resources
- In the field
Primary Topic:
Natural Resources
Other Topics:
Agriculture, Natural Resources
Internship Overview:
This internship is a collaborative effort supporting researchers and extension professionals in the strategic utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) technology to address pressing challenges in Western Colorado, encompassing crop production enhancement, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and conservative and efficient water resource use. The project’s emphasis lies in seamlessly integrating drone imagery to offer farmers semi-real-time insights into crop health, water utilization, and pest pressure. The program seeks to empower local producers with practical drone technology applications. Furthermore, the internship aims to craft extension and engagement materials, dispersing learned lessons and contributing to the broader knowledge base. Identified through the pivotal role UAV technology plays in advancing sustainable and profitable agriculture, the project aligns with the strategic goals of the College of Agriculture at Colorado State University (CSU). The imperative nature of this program is underscored by CSU’s relatively slower acquisition of UAV technology compared to peer institutions, necessitating urgent attention. Collaborating with local stakeholders, including Gunnison County ranchers, Mesa County farmers, the Colorado River District, and The Nature Conservancy, the program ensures valuable field experience in data collection techniques, QA/QC processes, and engagement with diverse stakeholders. With a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the project provides an opportunity to assess and enhance practices through a DEI lens. Anticipated student learning outcomes align with the goals of engagement and extension, enhancing CSU’s capacity to address community interests and facilitate impactful research and extension programs in Western Colorado. The mentors are open to a discussion on reimbursement for successful completion of the FAA Drone Pilot Licensing Process.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
The internship will support researchers and extension professionals utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) technology to develop innovative management strategies that allow producers to optimize production, reduce costs, and protect the environment. The team will utilize drones around two primary Research Facilities in regard to challenging issues in Western Colorado, such as the need for enhanced crop production systems, innovative sustainable agriculture and food systems, increasing resilience to climate change, protection of environmental resources, and efficient use of water resources. The value proposition of this project is to expand the capability and influence of CSU, by equipping our Western Colorado units to engage in UAV-enabled research and training projects that are disadvantaged by the lack of training in this technology. The team will work to develop expertise, training and application of drone imagery to provide farmers with immediate feedback on crop health, water use and stress, and pest pressure. One objective of the project will be to utilize drone technology throughout the summer, developing an understanding of spectral signatures applications, energy or flux source footprints, crop stress behavior and targeted evaluations necessary to fully apply these tools at broader scales. Another objective will be to train local producers in the applicability of these tools to their current management experiences and farming needs. Lastly, a third objective will be to develop Extension and Engagement materials meant to capture the lessons we have learned through the summer and contribute to the body of knowledge that exists on the primary CSU campus.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
Dominant local partners will include Delta County ranchers and producers, Mesa County farmers and producers, The Land Institute, American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, and The Nature Conservancy. Access to state-of-the-art UAV imaging capacity and data processing will substantially improve the capability of the WCRC to engage in impactful research in Western Colorado. Colorado State University is poised to use this technology with pilot training through The Pilot Institute (https://pilotinstitute.com/courses/drones/).
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
The intern will learn data collection techniques using field instrumentation for collecting information on assessing crop water consumptive use, crop stress patterns, pest and week pressures, as well as other signature issues relating to precision farming with innovative technology. The student will also perform QA/QC of raw field data for the purpose of later publication in fact sheets, technical reports or publications. The student will have the experience of working with a diverse group of stakeholders, all of whom are interested in adopting novel farming techniques in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Other students who have participated in similar projects have obtained positions in consulting, government agencies and graduate programs. The student will likely be using one of the better technologies available, such as the fixed-wing UAV manufactured by Parrot (https://www.parrot.com/business-solutions-us/agriculture); multi-spectral camera by DJI (https://www.dji.com/p4-multispectral) or Micasense (https://micasense.com/rededge-mx/); and image stitching software by PIX4D (https://www.pix4d.com/product/pix4dfields). Support for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) will also be integral to this project. Throughout the applied research process, it will be important to recognize areas of improvement through a DEI lens. This will be an opportunity to contribute input on questions like: 1) who is in the room/space?; 2) whose voices are being left out in these spaces?, and; 3) what are alternative approaches to providing a solution? The on-campus mentor (Elias G. Quiñonez) will engage intern through dialogue in their weekly meetings to briefly share some reflective moments in this area.
