Ecuador

Ecuador is the world’s leading export of cacao, the chief ingredient in single-origin chocolates. Over 90% of the cacao production in the country is undertaken by small farm owners. But a downward trend in crop prices and labor shortage during the busy season has left farmers struggling to improve efficiency and remain profitable. This is why they have now turned to drones for fruit tree spraying.

After two years of trying to rid a pair of Galápagos Islands of destructive non-native rats, researchers say they’ve eliminated the invasive rodents with considerable help from drones.