Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1098730
STiR coffee and tea 43 K O N S U L - S M I D T - S T R A S S E 8 j S P E I C H ER 1 - D - 2 8 2 17 B R E M E N FON + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 8 5 2 6 4 F A X + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 7 7 7 2 0 W W W . K K T E E . D E M A I L @ K K T E E . D E K L O T H & K Ö H N K E N T E E H A N D E L G M B H FAIR AND Q U A L I - T E A ! Sensors: These pick up temperature, nitrogen levels, moisture, soil nutrient levels, etc., where the 'etc.' means anything that emits a signal in the electromagnetic spectrum. A satellite won't "see" a damp puddle or detect the invisible signs of dis- ease on a single bush or get a lateral view of a row of plants or track a field by keeping to a consistent height of, say, 12 feet above the mountain's chang- ing surface. Or eight inches. The most sophisticated sensors measure the height of plants in real-time and precisely define land masses and elevation changes. They alert farmers to drainage and soil erosion, track pest swarming, and disease spreading and build 3D representations. LIDAR cameras can be yours for $60-150,000, with (light imaging and detection ranging; laser systems that are a sort of flying MRI scanner for plants.) Fork lift: In Longjing, China, fresh plucked Dragonwell leaf is taxied down the steep high el- evation hill to the processing factory. Hat takes 3 minutes versus 35 for a worker. Many tea sellers are experimenting with "last mile" delivery of hot chai in Lucknow, boxes of tea in Shanghai, and serving drinks in crowded restaurants. License: Just as you can't drive a car without a license and its being registered, governments impose requirements, most of which limit involve authorization for commercial use and standards and training for piloting. They are generally not a blockage, as policy makers and agriculture agen- cies see the immense value of drones and are en- couraging the many initiatives they open up, espe- cially in geo-mapping, Many of these payoffs from drones apply across agriculture and comprise what it is now routinely termed Precision Agriculture and Smart Farming. The differences between tea and other Fork lift drone shuttles longjing down from mountains in China crops in which options are most suitable and cre- ate most value are that almost all the best harvest comes from small growers at high elevations, on remote mountains with some truly weird weather patterns. By contrast, corn and rice fields are large, flat and evenly laid out. Drones can get up mountains easily. Smart tractors can't. The can/can't reverse applies. Ro- bot crop pickers are (gradually) transforming strawberry, lettuce, and lemon tree crop picking using AI and machine vision. They won't do well trying to clamber around a Yunnan or Bulang tea mountain or trying to pick the thousands of two leaves and a bud to make a few ounces of Castle- ton Darjeeling Moonlight White. Japan is an ex- ception. Its high wage costs, aging population, and unwillingness of workers to labor in tea fields is driving the use of robots everywhere: to take on nursing functions in hospitals, make beds in ho- tels, and farm tea.