1.4 The Drone Spraying Use Case
In this section you will apply the knowledge you have gained on the customer area of the business model canvas to Use Case 2 of the ICAERUS project.
Plant protection products (PPPs) are used in farming to protect crops from pests, weeds and diseases. This helps keep European agriculture productive, profitable and sustainable. One important method of applying these products is spraying, which is crucial for growing all kinds of open-field crops like vegetables, orchards, vineyards and arable crops.

A spraying drone is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can apply agrochemicals accurately and close to the crop canopy, typically from a height of less than 5 metres. These drones can be operated either manually or automatically.
The goal of Use Case 2 is to test and evaluate different ways of using spraying drones to ensure they work well in real field conditions. This involves studying how well the drones spray (e.g. how evenly the chemicals are applied, how deeply they penetrate the crop canopy, and how much spray drifts away) when using different settings (such as varying the height, speed, and flow rate of the nozzles). These results will then be compared to traditional spraying methods, like those using ground-based boom and mist sprayers.
Use Case 2 also aims to identify any risks associated with using drones for spraying and to develop new strategies to mitigate these risks, ensuring that drone-based spraying is both safe and environmentally friendly.
Activity 3
Task A
Watch the following video and take some time to reflect on the different aspects of the technology developed and its potential applications.

Transcript: Video 1
Task B
Now match the examples given below to the correct customer area block.
Comment
Customer relationships | Customer segments | Channels |
---|---|---|
Personalised support: tailored assistance for each farmer | Commercial farmers: large-scale operations (e.g. 10 ha in Greece) | Awareness: promotion among communities, congresses and fairs, and online; distributor networks: expanding reach through local distributors |
Online community: engagement and feedback through digital platforms | Small to medium-sized farms: smaller possibly organic farms | Evaluation: demonstration – test field and showcase event |
Automated updates and notifications: keeping systems up-to-date | Agricultural co-operatives: groups seeking shared solutions | Purchase: one-to-one contract with field visit |
Training programmes: empower customers with necessary skills | Agricultural consultants: looking for advanced tools for their clients | Delivery: planning through online platform, on site delivery with dedicated personnel |
Co-creation of solutions: collaborate n new features and improvements | Aftersales: data analysis and evolution of performance with dedicated report; education workshops: on-site and online training session; field demonstraions in local communities |