Rebecca Palacios |
Logroño, (EFE) towns.
A group of 25 women from La Rioja have begun a drone piloting course, organized by the Federation of Rural Women’s Associations (FADEMUR), as reported by its president in La Rioja, Mila Díez, in statements to journalists.
The “FADEMUR Vuela” project, which plans to train 500 rural women from ten autonomous communities, is an itinerant drone piloting school with telematics training, practical sessions and face-to-face exams after six weeks of instruction.
After completing this course, which is free, the participants will obtain the qualification of UAS/drones remote pilots in the open category, A1/A3, A2 and STS01 and STS02, certified by the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA).
In addition, they will also obtain the photogrammetry certification, which provides the techniques to obtain maps and plans of large tracts of land through aerial photography.
Sustainability and digitization
He has ensured that this program makes it possible to take advantage of “sustainability and digitization” as tools to root the population in rural areas and “adapt to changing times” in traditional activities such as agriculture and livestock.
“If there is a plague in a vineyard or a cow gets sick, it is not the same to start spraying or look for the animal on the north side of the farm or on the south side. A drone can expedite this work”, she recounted.
In addition, these devices allow for very creative photographs and videos to promote rural tourism, small wineries or simply the landscape of an area.
The courses will be given by the ASR training school, of the Pirineos Drone company, which is located in a rural mountain area of the Valle de Arán (Lérida), explained its manager, Lara Iglesia, who has already trained a hundred women .
Sheep, cherry trees and Cameros
María José Esteban, a rancher from Ventrosa, explained that a drone will allow her to control the location of her sheep and cattle and “avoid many trips and walks to close the animals at night and release them in the morning.”
In this area of Alto Najerilla and Las Siete Villas, you can also monitor the sheep and lead them to the fold to avoid attacks by wolves, he pointed out.
For her part, Guadalupe Vicente has indicated that she has a cherry tree farm in the municipality of Quel, in La Rioja Oriental, and with the drones she will be able to control which trees may be damaged or if there are drier areas, since “from above see another way.”
This fruit grower has added that drones allow images of the crops on her farm to be obtained, which can then be posted on her website or on the website of the municipality, which “is small, but has many things to offer.”
In the tourist municipality of El Rasillo, Blanca Rosa Ruiz has rural houses, which is why she considered it “very interesting” to be able to introduce potential clients to the entire Cameros area, not just her establishment.