International workshop on unmanned vehicles and their utilization in modern agriculture
Hybrid Event, 24/11/2025 - 28/11/2025
Background:
Precision agriculture is inherently interdisciplinary, demanding the effective integration of advanced knowledge from technical, biological and economic sciences. Although the concept has existed for more than two decades, its practical adoption has fallen short of early expectations. This gap largely stems from an underestimation of the complex interactions between the technological and biological dimensions of precision agriculture.
The Czech South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC) trust fund “GCP/RER/060/CEH – Training Programmes in Selected Areas” was opened in 2019 for workshops and trainings in selected areas of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) mandate in line with the Regional Priority Programmes and Green Agriculture Initiative. As part of this effort, the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) are organizing an international workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic to promote precision agriculture in the region.
Objective:
The workshop aims to exchange best practices in deploying unmanned vehicles in modern agriculture, covering both small- and large-scale farms. Drawing from Czech and international experiences, it will highlight advancements in production, sustainable land management, and the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).
Highlights:
- Exploration of drones and autonomous machines reshaping farming practices (e.g. precision spraying, crop monitoring).
- Insights into artificial intelligence-powered UAV technologies and remote sensing for yield optimization and environmental protection.
- Industry expert discussions on challenges, opportunities and future trends.
- Practical demonstrations of satellite remote sensing (spectral indices, yield mapping).
- Showcasing the Centre for Precision Farming at CZU Prague and ProLab Engineering’s UAV customization.
Target audience:
Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, research and academia, and farmers.
Agenda
| Time | Item |
|---|---|
| Monday, 24 November 2025 | |
| 10.00 | Registration |
| 10.30 | Welcome address – Associate Prof. Jiří Mašek, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering |
| 10.45 | Welcome address – Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic |
| 11.00 | Welcome address and presentation on the relevance of precision agriculture for balancing crop productivity and environmental sustainability – Tania Santivanez, regional coordinator of the priority programme on natural resources and biodiversity in a changing climate, FAO |
| 11.15 | Smart agriculture: State of the art and the potential of field robots – Assoc. Prof. Milan Kroulík |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 | Introduction of participants |
| 13.30 | Current trends in smart farming in relation to scientific research – Assoc. Prof. Abraham Kabutey |
| 14.00 | SmartAgri: smart agriculture project of CZU in Cambodia – Prof. David Herák |
| 14.30 | New materials as products of smart agriculture – Prof. Rajesh Mishra |
| 15.00 | Introduction of ProLab Engineering, UAV and UGV company – Prof. David Herák, Ing. Petr Hnízdil |
| 15.10 | Coffee break |
| 15.45 | Visit to the Faculty of Engineering Brewery |
| 16.30 | Closing of the day |
| Tuesday, 25 November 2025 Field Trip – Agricultural Robotics | |
| 10.00 | Visit to TERMS company (České Budějovice) – Demonstration of the industrial production of UGV agricultural robots |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 | Demonstration of the use of UGV ROBOTON robots in practical agricultural operations |
| 17.00 | Closing of the day |
| Wednesday, 26 November 2025 Field trip – smart agricultural technologies | |
| 10.30 | Visit to Kverneland Company – Demonstration of smart agricultural technology production |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 | Visit to Farm Enterprises – Demonstration of precision farming technologies in real agricultural operations |
| 17.00 | Closing of the day |
| Thursday, 27 November 2025 | |
| 10.00 | Utilization of UAV and UGV systems in agriculture: Practical examples – satellite remote sensing (spectral indices, yield potential, yield maps) – Dr. Václav Novák |
| 11.00 | Practical demonstration of the robotic team results: State of the art and the potential of field robots – Assoc. Prof. Milan Kroulík |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 | Visit to the ProLab Engineering Laboratory – Presentation of practical applications – Prof. David Herák, Ing. Petr Hnízdil |
| 16.00 | Closing of the day |
| Friday, 28 November 2025 | |
| 10.00 | Modern agriculture and Its relation to the digital world – Prof. David Herák |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 | Workshop evaluation |
| 13.30 | Certificate ceremony |
| 15.00 | Closing of the event |