China, Pakistan AI project revolutionizes farming in Punjab aiming to expand nationwide sustainable agriculture.
In Punjab’s vast wheat fields, drones now hover above while intelligent systems replace traditional manual labor for crop management. Farmers, relieved from working in extreme summer heat, can now oversee fertilization and irrigation remotely through a few taps on their mobile devices or tablets.
Muhammad Taj, a farmer from Gujranwala, expressed his amazement at the newly installed Kisan360 app, an AI-based agricultural tool. He noted that previously, he could only assess crop performance at harvest time, but now, real-time monitoring enables him to detect issues early, enhancing yields and minimizing losses.
The China-Pakistan collaboration in climate-smart agriculture has introduced advanced computer vision technology for high-throughput crop monitoring in Punjab. Kisan360 is the result of dedicated research efforts, integrating AI to optimize farming practices.
According to Dr. Wu Jun, the Chinese lead researcher on the project, drones equipped with visual recognition technology assist in crop monitoring, pest and disease detection, growth assessment, irrigation analysis, and fertilizer application.
Initially, local farmers were skeptical about adopting smart agricultural technology, fearing its complexity and unproven effectiveness. To address their concerns, a Pakistani team developed user-friendly guides and instructional videos in local languages, making the technology more accessible to farmers.
Saqib Ali, a researcher at the China-Pakistan Joint Laboratory for Agriculture, emphasized the urgency of using real-time data to assist farmers in making informed planting decisions, especially in light of increasing heat waves and water shortages. The Kisan360 app, now available on both Apple and Android stores, has already attracted around 1,000 farmers across Punjab and Islamabad through training sessions.
The app utilizes satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to offer farmers real-time insights into moisture and nitrogen levels, enabling precise fertilizer application. Additionally, reports are provided in Urdu for better accessibility.
Ali further explained that a ChatBot, powered by DeepSeek, has been integrated into the app. This open-source model is currently being fine-tuned with Pakistan-specific agricultural data to provide more localized and effective farming recommendations.
He emphasized the importance of DeepSeek in addressing Pakistan’s unique agricultural challenges, stating that the technology is in its testing phase and will be optimized further for local conditions.
Dr. Sultan Habibullah Khan, Director at the Centre for Agricultural and Food Security Research at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, stressed that Pakistan urgently needs tech-driven agricultural advancements. He believes this initiative can revolutionize local farming and drive significant improvements.
Dr. Wu noted that the project has received funding support from the World Bank and the Asian Disaster Management Centre. He highlighted the importance of AI-based solutions in tackling climate challenges and ensuring sustainable agriculture.
Looking ahead, the China-Pakistan Agricultural Laboratory plans to expand the implementation of this AI-driven technology nationwide over the next two years, aiming to enhance agricultural sustainability and drive innovation in Pakistan’s farming sector.
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