For decades, sugarcane farmers like Ashraya Badayak of Hattibhoja in ward 6 of Belauri Municipality in Kanchanpur, struggled to control pests—the cane grows tall, making it difficult to spray pesticides or apply liquid fertilizer by hand. Moreover, the workers faced health risks and often the spray machines could not reach all parts of the crop. To make matters worse, wildlife such as tigers and leopards occasionally roamed the fields, adding fear to an already arduous task.

Today, a quiet revolution is taking place in the sugarcane fields in Belauri.

“Spraying insecticides, pesticides or liquid fertiliser was very difficult. The sugarcanes are tall, so hand-spray machines didn’t reach everywhere. And there was also the danger of the chemicals touching our bodies,” Badayak recalled. The arrival of drone technology, however, changed everything.

For the past two years, Badayak has been using a drone to spray pesticides and apply liquid fertilizers not only on sugarcane but also on seasonal crops like mustard, wheat, maize, mango, and litchi. “Since we began using the drone, all those problems have disappeared. We don’t need to hire labourers either,” he said.

The drone—purchased with the support of the Sudurpaschim provincial government in the fiscal year 2022-23—is fitted with an 18-litre tank and can cover one bigha (0.68 hectares) of land in about 15 minutes.

Badayak bought it at the cost of Rs1.3 million after receiving a 50 percent subsidy from the provincial agriculture ministry under a drive to introduce advanced technology in farming. The drone can operate automatically using GPS-marked fields or manually via a remote controller and ensures accurate spraying within designated boundaries.

According to Badayak, the drone can spray large areas efficiently. “In the past, it was hard to cover every corner of the sugarcane field, but with the drone it is easy,” he explained.

Badayak’s shift to commercial farming bore fruit. He gradually expanded his farm, invested time and money, and became a full-time farmer. In the fiscal year 2022-23, he was honoured with the provincial-level ‘best farmer’ award from the Sudurpashchim government. Today, he cultivates sugarcane on six bigha (4.06 hectares), mustard on two bigha (1.35 hectares), wheat on one (0.68 hectares), and maize on another. He has already harvested some sugarcane this season and sent it to the sugar mill.

“My father was a farmer. I followed in his footsteps. Now things are going well, and income is good,” Badayak said. He estimates his annual earnings from agriculture between Rs 2 to 2.5 million.

Badayak also shared his experience about the advantages of intercropping sugarcane with mustard. “We plant mustard along with sugarcane; once mustard is harvested, the sugarcane grows tall. Then we spray the pesticide with the drone.” This mixed-crop approach is gaining popularity among other farmers too—and some have started planting bananas or mustard alongside sugarcane.

Officials at the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Kanchanpur say that for farmers engaged in large-scale commercial farming, drones offer substantial benefits. “For spraying pesticides over large areas, drones save time, labour and money,” said Dharma Saud, information officer at the centre. He, however, added that for small farmers with fragmented plots, the cost and technical demand of drones may not be so feasible.

The rise of drone-based farming in Kanchanpur aligns with national and global trends. The drones—often guided by GPS, sensors, or even artificial intelligence—are transforming agriculture by enabling precise pesticide application, early pest detection, and better resource management.

Badayak’s story highlights how modern technology can transform traditional agriculture, making it safer, more efficient and profitable. “After we started using the drone, farming got easier; we can spray seeds or chemicals with less cost and greater efficiency. This not only reduces our workload but protects our health too,” he said.

Of late, drones are used in various sectors in Nepal. They are used in the High Himalayas to save lives and collect garbage. If equipped with thermal detection, drones can pinpoint the location of missing climbers—if they are still alive. With 3D mapping capabilities, drones can remotely scan the icy landscapes of places like the Khumbu Icefall, measuring the length and depth of crevasses. Climbers and guides can assess the mountain’s dangers and be warned of potential avalanches or collapsing ice slabs.

Likewise, drones are successfully used in transporting relief to disaster-hit areas which are geographically remote and disconnected with roads and even the foot trails during natural disasters like floods and landslides.

In September last year, rain-induced disasters devastated dozens of districts, including Kavre where relief distribution hit a snag due to geographical remoteness and road blockages caused by floods and landslides. In light of the urgency of providing immediate reliefs to affected areas, authorities used sophisticated drones to take supplies.