Digital Demo Farm in Tajik Agrarian University

FAO established a digital demo farm on the premises of Tajik Agrarian University under the Digital Village Initiative in Tajikistan. The educational farm, located in the Hisor region, was equipped with digital technologies, including smart insect traps and a smart irrigation system with the participation of two private companies: Smapp Lab (Hungary) and Wes Trade (Italy). Wes Trade installed their Irrigoptimal smart irrigation technology in the apple orchards of the educational farm, facilitating the control of water expenditures and needs based on data provided by in-soil sensors and a weather station. Smapp Lab, on the other hand, contributed several smart insect traps (known as Smapp Lab) for the cotton fields and orchards that allow the tracking of insect swarms through smart sensors installed in each trap.

• Sensor
• Internet of things (IoT)
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Desktop/web-based application
• Mobile app

Wes Trade’s Irrigoptimal technology utilizes data from a network of sensors installed in the soil and weather stations to automatically track water expenditures. Alternatively, the user can manually input their daily irrigation water usage through a web-based or mobile application. Leveraging historical weather and soil data, along with real-time field data, Irrigoptimal calculates the optimal amount of water required for irrigation each day. Smapp Lab traps are equipped with a camera and various sensors (such as wavelength-selective light-emitting tools) that capture daily catch counts and the specific pest species, as well as local meteorological parameters such as temperature and humidity values. The data and images are then transmitted to servers for species identification and a catch count performed by AI-powered algorithms, after which the catch and meteorological data are evaluated. The resulting forecast can be accessed from the user’s personal dashboard.

• Smallholder farmers
• Rural communities
• Academia and research institutions

The Digital Demo Farm was established on the campus of Tajik Agrarian University, directly benefiting both its students and professors. Beyond its academic impact, the initiative aims to attract local farmers to capacity-building activities. Consequently, participants in the Lolazor pilot digital village, as beneficiaries of the pilot Digital Villages project in Tajikistan, were invited to attend the installation day and to take part in the subsequent training sessions conducted with students, professors and local farmers.

• Donor support
• Fully free

The technologies were gifted by private companies to the university, while FAO provided financial support for some of the operational and installation-related aspects of the programme.

The initiative sought to enhance local capacity and generate a catalytic effect through the university network. Students undergo in-field training at the educational farm every year, exposing them to the advantages and intricacies of digital technologies from an early age, thus creating a catalytic effect. The participating companies were able to develop connections with FAO partners in Tajikistan, including the Industry Development Fund (IDF), contributing to the country's digitalization efforts. For instance, Wes Trade will formalize its commitment through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the IDF, paving the way for continued partnership and distribution activities within the country.

WesTrade; Smapp Lab