A Ugandan student is developing a drone which he believes could make farming in his country more efficient. CCTV America’s Leon Ssenyange reports.

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are largely associated with military strikes and surveillance operations. However, Emmanuel Kolyang, 24, thinks his drone could help Ugandan farmers gather data on large plantations, without breaking the bank.

“I needed to first understand the physics behind the drone.. the principles, how to create pressure difference when the object lifts off. I needed to know the electronics. I then was able to know the components I needed to build the drone,” Kolyanga said.

Kolyanga’s gadget weighs under 2 kilograms or 4.4 pounds. With a remote control, it can fly at a height of 100 meters, about 109 yards, for about 15 minutes. The device is still undergoing testing and Kolyanga hope it will one day be helpful to farmers.

“There are two things: The eye in the sky and performing an activity. For now, what we can achieve is spraying the crops and also just surveying,” Koyanga said.

Several farmers in Uganda still practice subsistence agriculture and use rudimentary tools. The drone has been programmed to fly low over fields and stream videos back to the farmer. The images can then be used to analyze a crop. The inventors believe this new tool could revolutionize the agricultural sector. Once Emmanuel’s drone is ready to market it will have to be approved by Uganda’s Aviation Authority and then the sky is the limit.

Farmers in South America are also turning to technology to improve their crop season. CCTV America is joined by Sylvain Delerce, an associate scientist with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, to talk a project he is working on in Colombia’s rice fields.