What opportunities does “smart” agriculture open up in Tajikistan?
DUSHANBE, 19.04.2026 /NIAT “Khovar”/. Today digital technologies are changing people’s lives in almost all spheres. In an interview, the Head of the Press and Information Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan, Loik Tuychizoda, explained how digital transformation is reforming agriculture and what opportunities it opens for domestic specialists.
— Today digitalization is widely discussed. What does digitalization in agriculture mean?
Agriculture is directly linked to economic stability and food security, and in the 21st century, when digital technologies are becoming a key development factor, their introduction is not only necessary but inevitable.
Given the unprecedented speed of technological development, it also has a significant impact on agriculture.
Digitalization of agriculture refers to the introduction of digital technologies into production, management, and planning processes. All of this is aimed at increasing crop yields, livestock productivity, and overall sector efficiency.
It is important to understand that we are currently witnessing unprecedented climate change and increasing competition, where efficient use of natural resources and innovation play a key role.
The introduction of “smart agriculture” is aimed at solving problems in the agricultural sector, increasing efficiency, ensuring sustainability and predictability of production processes, and enabling rational use of natural resources.
Digital technologies allow agricultural producers to organize their activities efficiently in line with modern requirements.
In this context, it is also important to note that the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Leader of the Nation, Emomali Rahmon, has declared 2025–2030 as the “Years of Development of the Digital Economy and Innovation.”
— Which countries are leaders in this field?
In recent years, the world has been facing negative and unpredictable consequences of climate change, environmental disasters related to temperature fluctuations, precipitation changes, glacier melting, floods, and droughts. These factors are leading to food shortages, becoming a serious problem for many economies.
To prevent and address these issues, many countries are taking measures.
Countries such as the USA, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Russia, and others began implementing precision agriculture at the end of the 20th century. As a result, they significantly increased agricultural efficiency, reduced production costs, and strengthened food security.
For example, in the USA in 2024, agriculture and the food industry contributed 1.1 trillion US dollars to GDP and provided about 11% of total employment.
Currently, about 10% of the world’s arable land is in China, while the country feeds about 20% of the world’s population. In 2025, China’s agricultural production reached about 714.9 million tons of grain, which is 8.4 million tons more than in 2024.
The Netherlands ranks second in the world in agricultural exports. In 2024, its agricultural output reached 140 billion dollars. The use of modern and digital technologies has significantly increased global average crop yields.
The foundation of progress in these countries is the widespread use of modern technologies, smart agriculture, artificial intelligence, drip irrigation, and other tools that enable high profits with minimal costs.
— Which countries have conditions similar to Tajikistan?
The Republic of Tajikistan is rich in natural resources such as water, fertile land, and more than 300 sunny days per year.
All this creates favorable conditions for growing crops, obtaining two to three harvests per year, and producing environmentally friendly and competitive products. Seasonal pastures are also widely used for livestock development.
The experience of countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, China, and Azerbaijan is close to Tajikistan’s climatic and natural conditions, as the country has a continental climate, mountainous terrain, and significant water resources.
Today, scientists in Tajikistan’s agricultural sector have achieved significant results.
Farmers, using modern methods, apply advanced experience and achieve high productivity, for example in cotton cultivation under film and the creation of super-intensive orchards. Modern greenhouses and livestock farms are being built across the country.
Examples include livestock farms of LLC “Marmari”, greenhouse complexes of LLC “Vitamins of Tajikistan”, and other enterprises using advanced technologies.
— What legal documents regulate digitalization in agriculture?
One of the key documents is the “National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan until 2030,” which serves as a fundamental guideline for development across various sectors.
The adoption of specific programs creates a strong foundation for sector management and innovation, improving efficiency.
Tajikistan has adopted documents such as the “Concept of the Digital Economy of the Republic of Tajikistan,” the “Medium-Term Program for the Development of the Digital Economy (2021–2025),” and its second phase for 2026–2030.
In agriculture, the following programs are in place: the “Concept of Innovative Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex,” the “Program for the Development of Agro-Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture until 2030,” the “Program for Innovative Agricultural Mechanization (2025–2029),” the “Program for Digitalization of Agriculture (2025–2029),” and the “Food Security Program (2026–2030).”
These documents create conditions for better use of agricultural potential.
They also lay the foundation for precision farming, digitalization, improved management systems, elimination of shortcomings, and sustainable development of the sector.
— How much will agricultural digitalization cost?
Agricultural digitalization in Tajikistan is still at an early stage. Strengthening intersectoral cooperation will support financing and attract domestic and foreign investment.
The government has adopted the “Program for Innovative Agricultural Mechanization (2025–2029)” and the “Program for Digitalization of Agriculture (2025–2029).”
The digitalization program provides 120 million somoni in funding from state sources, the private sector, and development partners.
The mechanization program (first phase, 2025–2027) provides 207.88 million somoni from all sources.
A State Unitary Enterprise “Center for Digitalization, Innovation and Agricultural Training” has been established under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Several international projects are being implemented, including:
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ADB project worth 17 million USD on digital agricultural management for food security
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KOICA project worth 8 million USD for modern greenhouse development
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WFP project worth 10 million USD for youth involvement in agricultural technologies
Work is ongoing on an Agro-Information Management System for collecting and analyzing agricultural data.
A digital soil mapping system is being developed.
The Locust Control Service has received drones for monitoring and reducing chemical use.
These initiatives mark the beginning of large-scale financing, with further investment expected.
— What will Tajikistan gain from these reforms?
Digitalization will ensure efficient use of land and water resources, higher yields, increased livestock productivity, two to three harvests per year, stronger food security, reduced imports, increased exports, and improved farmers’ incomes, contributing to overall economic growth.
These goals are reflected in the Food Security Program (2026–2030).
Climate change is increasing extreme weather events affecting agriculture.
Glacier melting may cause floods in the short term and water shortages in the long term.
Agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate change, making innovation essential.
Digitalization supports climate adaptation, sustainable development, better food access, improved public health, higher incomes, and long-term economic stability.
— Are Tajik farmers ready for these changes?
Yes, they are. This is not a choice but a requirement of the time. Worldwide, modernization and digital transformation in agriculture are revolutionary processes.
Farmers need modern technologies to manage production efficiently.
Technologies such as GIS, GPS systems, IoT devices, drones, automated and robotic machinery enable precision mapping, monitoring, irrigation, and automation, reducing costs and improving decision-making.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly helping farmers make better decisions.
Tajikistan currently has 186,400 farms. About 70% of the population is employed in agriculture, which accounts for 23% of GDP and about 20% of exports.
However, challenges remain, including limited investment, weak infrastructure in remote areas, lack of modern equipment, shortage of skilled specialists, and low digital literacy among farmers.
Efforts are underway to address these issues, including digital agricultural platforms, AI-based monitoring, digital farm registries, “AgroDonish” platform, and a farmer chatbot.
— What technologies help reduce climate risks?
Climate change, along with regional conflicts and economic instability, is making global supply chains vulnerable. Rising fertilizer and fuel prices are also increasing production costs.
According to the FAO, land degradation caused by urbanization, pollution, overuse of fertilizers, and improper irrigation is reducing soil fertility.
Around 750 million people face hunger, and 2.2 billion lack access to clean water.
Digital agriculture opens opportunities for a new level of technological development.
No country can fully ensure food security alone. Regional cooperation and resilient logistics chains are becoming increasingly important.
— Which areas are prioritized?
The Ministry’s strategic goal is food security: ensuring availability, accessibility, and sustainability of safe food, strengthening independence, and adapting to climate change.
Most food products in the consumer basket—grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, livestock products, meat, and eggs—are produced domestically and are environmentally friendly.
Food self-sufficiency has reached 85%. In some products, domestic production exceeds physiological consumption norms.
— Are storage conditions being developed?
Yes. Storage, logistics, and export systems are being developed. Five agro-logistics centers are planned in several regions with a total value of 25 million USD, each with a capacity of up to 2,000 tons.
— Final statistics on agriculture development
In 2025, agricultural production reached 84.7 billion somoni, an increase of 9.5% compared to the previous year.
Sowing was carried out on 843,600 hectares, including cereals, technical crops, potatoes, vegetables, melons, and fodder crops.
Production included 1.8 million tons of grain, 400,000 tons of cotton, 1.3 million tons of potatoes, 3.4 million tons of vegetables, 1.3 million tons of melons, 954,300 tons of fruit, and 346,100 tons of grapes.
On 200,000 hectares, repeated sowing produced about 1.5 million tons of additional output.
Livestock numbers include 2.9 million cattle, 7.5 million sheep and goats, 96,800 horses, 260,000 bee colonies, and 13.1 million poultry. Production included 454,300 tons of meat (including 50,800 tons of poultry meat), 1.2 million tons of milk, 1.4 billion eggs, 3,800 tons of honey, and 5,500 tons of fish.
Elena Batenkova
NIAT “Khovar”