Department of Agriculture
The Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) is one of the first organ of state to embrace drone technology as a useful but missing accessory to fill the gap of human error and inefficiency brought about by traditional farming methods in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era. It all started in 2018, wherein the department commissioned a diagnostic, impact, and design evaluation to determine the impact of the 4th IR on the Western Cape’s Agricultural Sector.
The Remote Pilot License (RPL) is an advanced drone-training course, where, on completion, the student will receive a full RPL recognised by the South African Civil Aviation Authority to legally fly a drone for commercial purposes. During the middle of 2022/ 2023 financial year, the Agriculture and Agribusiness Stakeholders who witnessed this Drone training exercise at Elsenburg, urged the Department to reach out to Schools and support educators attempting to introduce drone technology training in their study syllabuses.
The agri communities and educators have embraced drone technology and training as a useful accessory to reposition the sector for sustainable growth.