Tajikistan on the road to digital agriculture

A training workshop “Towards the development of a roadmap for the digitalization of agriculture in Tajikistan” takes place today in Dushanbe, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close cooperation with the Ministry of the Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan.  

The goal of the  workshop is to develop foundational knowledge on, and raise awareness of, digital agriculture among entrepreneurs, leading national digital companies, public organizations, government, and academia representatives. Participants will share experiences and opinions, and collaborate on a vision for digital agriculture in Tajikistan that will guide the development of a national roadmap to transition to a more sustainable and productive agricultural sector. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to learn directly from renowned experts from the Republic of Korea about digital agriculture policies and smart farm innovations implemented in Korea.

“The development of digital agriculture is more relevant than ever, and the modernization of the agricultural sector is increasingly associated with the development of digitalization and innovation,” said Shamsiddin Soliev, Deputy Head of the Department of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Agriculture. “This trend is especially relevant for Tajikistan. Our strategy is aimed at high indicators of the development of the agro-industrial sector that cannot be accomplished without appropriate digital solutions,” he added.

Digital technologies are transforming agriculture and food production. They spread of mobile technologies, remote-sensing services, and distributed computing are already improving smallholders' access to information such as on weather, soil conditions, pests and other data needed on a daily basis, inputs and markets, increasing production and productivity, streamlining supply chains and reducing operational costs.

Access to timely, accurate information is critical to help farmers make the most of their resources in current rapidly changing circumstances.  In agriculture, digital technologies can help to overcome challenges that the farmers and other actors in the food value chain face by filling the information gap, improving access to market information, to knowledge and financial opportunities, and enhancing farm productivity.

The event makes relevant actors of Tajikistan possible to advance towards a more digital agriculture.

The workshop was organized within the project “Provision of technical assistance on e-agriculture to the Ministry of Agriculture” under FAO’s  Technical Cooperation Programme, establishing the framework for FAO to make its know-how and technical expertise available to Tajikistan.

FAO will continue supporting Tajikistan, applying modern technologies in agriculture and best practices to improve the livelihoods of the rural population. Within the framework of the project a national roadmap of digital agriculture will be developed for the local context of Tajikistan and digital solutions are to be piloted.

30 November 2022, Dushanbe, Tajikistan