Women take control as Telangana farms adopt new technologies

U. Sandhya, a farmer and member of a self-help group, flies an agricultural drone over her fields in Motakondur village of Yadadri Bhuvanangiri district. She is among 35 women from SHGs across 13 mandals who are being trained to tap into technology-based livelihood opportunities | Photo credit: Nagara Gopal

A drone buzzes over a rice field in Motakondur village TelanganaYadadri-Bhuvanagiri district which attracts the attention of many villagers. At the controls is 33-year-old farmer Usirika Sandhya, who covers the crop with pesticide in minutes, a task that would otherwise require hours of work with a hand-held sprayer.

But for Sandhya, the drone is about more than just speeding up work on the farm. It is an attempt to spare her husband Mahesh the health problems he faces after long hours of spraying pesticides and at the same time open up a new livelihood opportunity for her.

Published – 11 Sep 2026 07:52 IST