A new study out of Michigan State University, published in the journal Science, offers the first comprehensive global look at how drones are reshaping agriculture. The research finds that while drone technology promises significant benefits, including higher efficiency, reduced labor, and potential environmental gains, its adoption thus far is far from uniform. Instead, the use of agricultural drones is unfolding unevenly and is being shaped by national policy, farm size, levels of economic development, and other factors.

The study’s authors first became aware of the importance of agricultural drones and interested in their sustainability implications while researching a completely unrelated subject. Study co-author Leo Baldiga, a dual major Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences and the Environmental Science and Policy Program at MSU said that while researching aquaculture in rural Thailand with Ben Belton, the study’s lead author, they were surprised when a shrimp farmer of 30 years told them she was planning to make some major changes to the way she farmed due to her neighbor’s use of drones. “Turns out her neighbors were using drones to spray rice fields, and the pesticides were drifting into her ponds, killing her shrimp,” said Baldiga. “To avoid the negative impacts, she’s decided to convert most of her ponds back into rice fields.”  Belton and Baldiga realized then that there was very little documentation of either the promises or pitfalls of agricultural drones.

To shine a light on the drone revolution taking place, Belton, Baldiga, and team decided to analyze patterns of agricultural drone use across multiple countries. Their work reveals a fast-growing but uneven landscape. There’s been widespread adoption in China, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, but less use in regions where regulations or investment lag.