Smart tech for safer farms: the role of drones, Al and data tools in security

As farm attacks, equipment theft and vandalism continue to threaten South Africa's agriculture sector, many farmers are turning to technology for protection. From drones and artificial intelligence (AI) to coordinated communication platforms, innovation is proving to be one of the most effective allies in improving farm security.

- By Octavia Avesca Spandiel

Karidas Tshintsholo, founder and CEO of Khula!, a South African agritech startup that provides a digital marketplace and management tools for farmers, says that while technology offers powerful solutions, local governance challenges continue to leave farmers vulnerable.

“In terms of on-farm security, it really comes down to the quality of the police service in the country. In many rural areas, farmers cannot rely on the police for protection, and this leaves them with no choice but to fund their own security, which is not sustainable given how thin the margins in agriculture already are,” he says.

He adds that many farmers are now pooling resources to pay private security companies to patrol their areas, which adds a financial burden that eats into already strained budgets. “It’s unfortunate because if municipal systems were working efficiently, we would not be in this situation,” he says.

In some areas, farmers have even taken unusual precautions to manage theft. Tshintsholo says several farmers in Limpopo have resorted to planting extra hectares along their fences simply to offset expected losses. “They know people will steal, so they plan for it. That’s the reality, and it directly affects their bottom line,” he says.

TECHNOLOGY CAN ACT AS A SHIELD FOR FARMERS

Despite these challenges, Tshintsholo says digital tools can make farms significantly more secure. “Technology can definitely help. The first thing it improves is coordination. If one farmer experiences an incident, they can log it on a shared system to say, for example, that they had a break-in on a particular day and this was the method used. When farmers coordinate in this way, they can predict the kinds of attacks that might occur and take preventative action.”