The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (“IICA” or the “Organization”), a specialized agency of the Inter-American System that supports the efforts of its 34 Member States to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being, is pleased to announce that the Organization, in conjunction with the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (“BAIC”), the Bahamas Agriculture Marine Science Institute (“BAMSI”) along with the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, will conduct two live drone demonstrations with Bella Wings Aviation and Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) (CSE: DPRO) (FSE: 3U8), an award-winning, industry-leading drone solutions and systems developer.
The drone demonstrations being hosted by the IICA in Nassau, Bahamas on March 15, 2022 and March 17, 2022 will showcase use cases for the technologies across agriculture, environmental, inter-island deliveries, emergency services and disaster assessment. The events will highlight how drones can be used to support The Bahamas as well as improve business outputs and profitability.
Working closely with its 34 Member States, IICA has broad experience in areas such as technology and innovation for agriculture, agricultural health, food safety and quality, international agricultural trade, family farming, rural development, natural resource management and the bioeconomy.
On March 15, an agricultural drone demonstration will take place at Blue Fields Farms/Aquaponic Research Center at 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT. Draganfly will showcase how the Company’s drone solutions can be used for aerial mapping, crop density management, irrigation analysis, and plant health assessment.
Food security is an issue worldwide. But, food insecurity is even more of a critical issue for countries such as The Bahamas, which imports nearly 90% of their food and is at acute risk to natural disasters.
Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Hon. Clay Sweeting has been feverishly working to reduce the exorbitant food import bill. He lauds IICA for its work towards this goal.
“As we continue to find new methods and technologies to assist farmers and fishermen, I am very interested to see how drone technology can assist farmers and other aspects of the agricultural sector. We are an archipelagic nation and so some of our challenges are much different than other countries,” he said.
“This demonstration may be also useful to fishermen who are stranded at sea and would need engine parts or supplies. Our hope is to continue to explore these different methods and to work along with persons in various sectors to facilitate knowledge and sector growth”, explained Sweeting.
“Leveraging UAV technology to address food security and create economic opportunities aligns with IICA’s policies and my objectives as Director General,” said Manuel Otero, IICA Director General. “From creating our Fab Lab at our Headquarters in Costa Rica, to undertaking a Digital Transformation Strategy, IICA supports smart agriculture and innovations that create meaningful results and progress in our rural areas and our Hemisphere’s agricultural sector. IICA has always been on the forefront of supporting new technologies and innovative concepts that respond to the needs of our Member States, he added.
“The Delegation of IICA in The Bahamas, along with our partners at BAIC, BAMSI, TDC and Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs are in the throes of launching our ‘Buy Fresh. Buy Local. Buy Bahamian’ campaign that serves to encourage us all to support our local farmers and create a more self-sustainable Bahamas,” said Mari Dunleavy, IICA Representative in the country. “We look forward to seeing how UAV technology from Draganfly and Bella Wings Aviation can help us provide the support they require.”, explained Dunleavy.
Following the agricultural demonstration, a drone delivery showcase will be held at BAIC’s Old Trail Road facility on March 17, 2022 at 6 a.m. PDT / 9 a.m. EDT. Draganfly will provide a variety of use cases for the Company’s advanced payload systems including inter-island deliveries and disaster relief.
“Draganfly continues to provide quality, cutting-edge drone solutions, software and artificial intelligence (AI) systems that are revolutionizing the way industry leaders across a variety of major markets do business and service their stakeholders. We are grateful for the opportunity to showcase our capabilities across agriculture, environmental, inter-island deliveries, emergency services and disaster assessment,” said Scott Larson, Director at Draganfly.
