Brazil’s Farm Drone Fleet Surges as Aerial Spraying Moves Into the Mainstream
Brazil’s agricultural drone fleet has grown to about 35,000 units in 2025. That is up from roughly 3,000 in 2021, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, marking a shift from early adoption to a wider role in day-to-day farm operations.
The rapid expansion reflects the growing appeal of drones as a practical tool for spraying and field work. Farmers are using the technology to cut water and input use, improve operator safety, reach difficult terrain and extend operating windows beyond the limits of conventional ground machinery. In areas where mechanization remains limited, drones are emerging as a flexible alternative that can help maintain productivity without the field constraints linked to tractors and sprayers.
Research by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa, points to technical gains in crop applications. Studies cited by the agency found that airflow from drone rotors can improve droplet penetration into crop canopies and increase deposition in the lower third of plants, a zone often difficult for ground sprayers to reach. In some cases, deposition levels were reported at up to 1.9 times those achieved by ground-based methods, while drones also maintained spraying efficiency at lower spray volumes, increasing autonomy and the area covered in each work cycle.
Drones also avoid crop damage caused by machinery moving through fields. Trampling losses in mechanized systems can reach up to 7% in soybeans and 4.8% in rice, making aerial application attractive for growers seeking to protect yield and improve field efficiency. In Brazil’s Northern region, DronePro, an early official partner of DJI Agriculture, has expanded drone use in pastures, grains, açaí, cocoa, pineapple, banana, citrus and upland rice, with pasture management becoming a strong use case because uneven terrain, heavy rainfall and large remote areas often challenge tractors and ground sprayers.
The market is also building a broader support ecosystem around the aircraft. Available systems include models for liquid spraying, solid input distribution and specialised work, with examples such as the DJI Agras T25P, T70P and T100 covering different payload and tank requirements; DronePro increased its market share from 16.3% to 21.1% between 2024 and 2025 and is working with universities and partners on field monitoring, trials and crop-specific validation. As equipment improves and technical evidence expands, drones are set to become a larger force in Brazilian agriculture, strengthening productivity, precision and sustainability across diverse farming systems.