On 10 January 2026, Tobacco Farmer Talk introduced drone spraying to smallholder tobacco growers in its Beatrice Cluster.
The operation covered 5.6 hectares of tobacco at the advanced vegetative to early reaping stage. It responded to a severe aphid infestation, while one plot also received a preventive fungicide application following excessive rains.
The field account recorded approximately five minutes of spraying per hectare, giving growers a practical introduction to the technology in their own farming environment.
Bringing innovation closer to growers
For TFT, this is part of bringing knowledge, service providers and farmers together. Smallholder growers need opportunities to see new technologies at work and assess how they might fit their farming businesses.
The Beatrice experience forms part of our wider ambition to make practical innovation accessible to growers through the TFT cluster network.
Watch the field video
Original footage supplied by TFT. Beatrice, January 2026.
A Healthy Farmer, A Healthy Crop, A Healthy Profit, in a Healthy Environment.