Nestled in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Howick-based Field Tech Solutions is redefining agriculture through drone-powered innovation.
Founded by Nokuphila Gumede, the company has integrated technology into the agricultural sector through its drone technology. In partnership with Thabiso Sithole and Khanya Nyawo, the company is rapidly becoming a game-changer in precision farming, offering drone-based services tailored to crop spraying, ripening, mapping, and fertilisation.
Gumede, 31, who hails from KwaDukuza, was first introduced to agriculture when she moved to Pietermaritzburg in 2015 to study at the Cedara College of Agriculture.
She obtained a degree in agriculture from Cedara and later completed an honours degree in agricultural extension and rural resource management at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
“My partners and I started the business in 2021 after I got an opportunity to do a drone licence programme that was funded by the Agribusiness Development Agency [ADA],” she said.
“While we were doing that licence, I did a bit of research on drones and how they can fit into the agriculture industry. People in the sector were not aware that drones can be used for things such as spraying or fertilising – they only knew drones as tools for taking images and videos.”
That realisation was a turning point for Gumede.
“When I found out what else drones could do, I was intrigued by how they could make processes more efficient for farmers. I decided to start the company providing these services because I saw the value they would add to the industry.”
Field Tech Solutions today uses hi-tech drones to spray chemicals, including fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and ripeners, particularly on sugar cane and maize fields.