PERSHORE College’s GrowAgri Worcestershire project, which aims to promote entrepreneurship in the county’s agri-tech sector, is set to go online in 2021 with the help of a new recruit.

Dr Chris Hatcher, a soils and plant nutrition scientist has joined the GrowAgri team to develop methods for predicting crop yield and plant health using data obtained from drones.

The use of drone-derived data in agriculture is helping to modernise the way farmers grow our food by making production more efficient. This approach to farm management is based on observing, measuring, and taking action based on real-time crop and livestock data.

Dr Hatcher, who has a doctorate in plant ecology from Loughborough University, will be sharing his expertise as part of a brand new virtual business support programme set to start in the new year which features a range of topics from bioenergy and waste management to space and cyber technology.

Hatcher said: “Remote sensing in horticulture and agriculture is commonplace, but use of UAVs to generate high-resolution imagery that is then used for quantitative modelling is something that is currently underdeveloped in the agri-tech sector.”

“UAV-based remote sensing requires speciality across multiple disciplines. While this is likely the reason it is not more widely used currently, it presents the opportunity for a range of businesses to diversify into new markets and collaborate.

“Our 2021 virtual support programme aims to promote diversification of businesses into the agricultural sector, and also aims to support growers in advancing their methods for growing by incorporating new technologies into their established protocols.”

Starting in January 2021, five expert-led webinars will showcase the cutting-edge technologies that are already being developed in horticulture to revolutionise the way we grow our food by maximising productivity, data collection, precision and efficiency, whilst also benefitting the environment.

The webinars will also highlight the opportunities for Worcestershire-based businesses to be part of the future development of these technologies.