A Novel Aspect of Farmland Birds Conservation in Precision Agriculture

Farmland bird nest (Source: Wallhere.com)

Written By: Muhammad Abdul Mannan

If we we even keep us very slightly updated with the advancement in the field of agriculture, it is very likely that we already have known about precision agriculture. Even though you are already familiar with the term, I will include here the term definition from an external source in very brief to keep you around the context. 

Precision agriculture (PA) is an approach to farm management that uses information technology (IT) to ensure that the crops and soil receive exactly what they need for optimum health and productivity. The goal of PA is to ensure profitability, sustainability and protection of the environment (Techtarget.com). 

Look at the three points (profitability, sustainability and protection of the environment) in the last line of the above definition. The middle point that is "sustainability" is the main concerned issue of our today's discussion. 

To satisfy the conditions of precision agriculture, a farming system must fulfill the environmental protection criteria. Environmental protection criteria include all of the measures that keep the environment safe for crops and all other living and non-living element's sound functionality. In that concern, farmland birds that are the living component of a farming system are being discussed thoroughly all over the world. This universal concern is to conserve the endangered farmland bird species like Moyna, shalik, House sparrows, Koel, bulbul, Red Wattled Lapwings. These birds very commonly build nests in the farmlands and they are disturbed and destroyed due to unconcerned ploughing and sowing. I used here the word "unconcerned ploughing and sowing "; it is because, prior to ploughing filed and sowing farmers can not necessarily locate the nests of the farmland bird nests. Locating farmland bird nest by eyes is too difficult and time consuming. That's why it is very difficult for the farmers to locate the nests and to take care of them. As a result farmland birds are being more and more endangered day by day. 

Taking this issue into serious consideration, a team of researchers in University of Helsinki initiated a technological method in locating the farmland bird nests. In the technique, they used thermal camera embedded with a flying drone. The background of using thermal photography technique is that the bird nests are warmer than the surrounding crop environment. The warmer bird nests become more clear in the photography as compared to that of crops. after that the images are analysed using artificial intelligence for more clear view and precise location of the nets.

Using this technology, farmers may get a fore-information about the farmland bird nests and may take necessary steps to conserve them.