🕹️ Farms flying high

Drone use for agriculture in Brazil is growing rapidly, and regulators are trying to catch up to the trends

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Brazilian farms are becoming more reliant on drones

Drone spraying has become more common in Brazil. Photo: Wenderson Araujo/Trilux via CNA

Drone spraying has become more common in Brazil. Photo: Wenderson Araujo/Trilux via CNA

Brazilian authorities are reviewing feedback from a sector-wide public consultation on proposed updates to agricultural aviation regulations. The Agriculture Ministry aims to consolidate and modernize two existing frameworks: one from 2008 governing the use of aircraft in farming and a 2021 directive specifically addressing drones.

The current proposal seeks to streamline operator registration, improve oversight and adapt to the country’s fast-changing agricultural landscape. Industry groups have pushed for additional revisions — chief among them, reducing the minimum distance required between pesticide application zones and populated areas or water sources.

As The Brazilian Report highlighted in our latest Brazil Climate newsletter, some of these demands have already advanced at the state level. In Mato Grosso, Brazil’s agricultural powerhouse, lawmakers passed legislation easing such distance restrictions, despite public health concerns over exposure to toxic chemicals.

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