China-Pak jointly developed agricultural app equipped with cutting-edge AI tool
FAISALABAD, Feb. 19 (Gwadar Pro)–In the vast wheat fields of Punjab Province, drones are patrolling the air, and intelligent systems have replaced manual labor to take care of crops. Free from the pain of field labor during the broiling summer season, local farmers could accurately monitor crop health, fertilization and irrigation with just a few clicks on their mobile phones or tablets.
“Previously, I could only see which fields performed well when it was almost harvest time. Now, I check crop health regularly on my mobile and can fix problems early, which has helped me improve yields and reduce losses,” Muhammad Taj from Gujranwala, Punjab, marvels at the new agricultural artificial intelligence app, Kisan360, newly installed on his phone.
The mobile app interface of Kisan 360 [Screenshot]
Punjab farmers use Kisan 360 on tablets to manage farmland [Photo provided to GP]
The China-Pakistan cooperation project “High Throughput Crop Monitoring using Computer Vision for Climate Smart Agriculture” funded by ADPC, World Bank has injected sci-tech element into Punjab’s farmland, with Kisan360 is the result of their painstaking efforts. “We leverage satellite data and drone imagery for intelligent crop monitoring and management. Our solutions enhance cultivation practices by providing near real-time insights into crop health, water, and nitrogen requirements,” introduced Dr. Wu Jun, the Chinese project leader.
More and more local farmers are learning to use the app through seminars [Photo provided to GP]
Initially, local farmers expressed doubts about smart technology. “It’s too complicated for us, and its effectiveness and practicality have not been proven.” The Pakistani team addressed their doubts by producing text guides and audio-visual materials on crop health maps in the local dialect and sharing them with farmers in real time.
“I come from a farming family, understanding very well the problems faced by Pakistani farmers today, with severe heat waves and water shortages becoming our main challenges. Providing farmers with near real-time data to help them optimize their planting decisions and ensure food security for their communities is urgent,” Dr. Saqib Ali, a Pakistani researcher at the China-Pakistan Joint Lab for AI & Smart Agriculture, told Gwadar Pro. “Our Kisan360 APP is now live on the Apple App Store and Android Play Store. We have conducted training sessions in Punjab, Sindh, and Islamabad, with a user base of approximately 1,000 farmers.”
“Taking fertilization as an example, Kisan360 uses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to provide farmers with near real-time insights into crop moisture and nitrogen levels, helping to identify areas that require precise fertilization, then farmers can listen to these reports in local Urdu language,” the researcher added.
Dr. Saqib Ali highlighted that the bilateral team has deployed a ChatBot in the app using DeepSeek. He emphasized that, as an open-source model, it can be customized and fine-tuned using their own crop data specific to Pakistan. This flexibility allows for more accurate and relevant insights tailored to local agricultural conditions.
“It is in the testing phase. We are fine-tuning DeepSeek to better understand and address the specific farming needs of Pakistan, incorporating local agricultural knowledge to provide more tailored insights for farmers. DeepSeek has proven to be extremely valuable for us in understanding and meeting the unique challenges of farming in Pakistan.”
“Pakistan is currently in urgent need of agricultural practices driven by advanced technology. This project is an opportunity for Pakistan. After promotion, more and more farmers will be interested in it, which can bring substantial changes to local agriculture.” said Dr. Sultan Habibullah Khan, Director of the Center for Agricultural and Food Security Research at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
Dr. Wu Jun told GP that the World Bank and the Asian Disaster Management Center have provided funding support for this project, emphasizing the importance of this innovative solution in addressing climate challenges and enhancing agricultural sustainability. “In the future, our China-Pakistan Joint Lab for AI & Smart Agriculture plans to promote this technology throughout Pakistan within two years, to comprehensively promote sustainable agricultural development through AI+, as a new tool under the new era.”
