AI for Azerbaijan’s agriculture: transforming farms with data Overview by Khazar Akhundov

In recent years, Azerbaijan has implemented projects aimed at the digital transformation of agricultural production and, more broadly, at expanding farmers’ access to network services. The foundation of this system was the Electronic Agricultural Information System (EKTIS), established in 2020.

As Minister of Agriculture, Majnun Mammadov stated on March 11 during public hearings at the Milli Majlis (parliament) Committee on Agricultural Policy, the second phase of digital transformation in the agricultural sector is currently underway. As part of the “Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture” project, the EKTIS system will be equipped with 33 digital modules with AI capabilities.

The United Nations has identified the comprehensive development of information and communication technologies (ICT), including full coverage of rural agricultural regions, as a key priority under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through 2030. These objectives are actively promoted by the UN’s specialised agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which believes that expanding high-speed internet infrastructure in rural areas, as well as providing access to e-government mechanisms and various social and business digital services, has enormous potential to advance the SDGs.

According to FAO experts, the digitalisation of agricultural regions can significantly increase productivity, support small farms through better information and organisational services, and improve their access to markets. At the same time, the availability of digital resources will accelerate the development of “smart” villages and automated agro-complexes, helping to create sustainable rural communities. The implementation of IT technologies in these areas is expected to boost economic growth, provide rural residents with decent employment, and reduce the inequality gap between urban and rural areas.

In this regard, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Agriculture was among the first in the post-Soviet space to launch, in 2019, the project to create an automated “Electronic Agricultural Information System”. The system’s electronic database (Big Data) provides a clear picture of the volumes and structure of cultivated crops, as well as harvest forecasts, allowing farmers to receive up-to-date information on supply and demand and helping them select the most promising and profitable crops for the season.

The EKTIS mechanism has played an unprecedented role in streamlining the subsidy system for the hundreds of thousands of farmers registered in it, strengthening oversight, and ensuring transparency and targeting in the process. Beyond easier access to subsidy programs — including for purchasing fertilisers and fuel — farmers can receive yield forecasts for their plots, while large agro-complexes, with the support of EKTIS, can bring unused land into agricultural rotation, optimising the process of improving soil fertility.

Alongside optimising the state subsidy system for farms, in recent years EKTIS has simplified interactions between agricultural entities and banks, increasing access to credit for farmers. Essential information for bank credit inspectors regarding farmers’ business and financial activities, as well as their collateral, is now available “with a single click” in the electronic system, significantly speeding up loan decision-making. The EKTIS database also underpins the agricultural insurance system, helping to address the issue of collateral requirements for farms.

According to Surkhay Novruzov, adviser to the Minister of Agriculture, the EKTIS database currently contains information on more than 600,000 domestic farmers. The database includes all details — from the precise location of agricultural lands and the types of crops grown to plant varieties and harvest volumes. Since the end of 2024, all issues arising in the agricultural sector have also been recorded in a digital agricultural map.

He noted that, considering economic efficiency and data accessibility, a roadmap has been developed to integrate 33 modules into the EKTIS system. Seven modules have already been fully developed, 21 more are planned for completion by the end of 2026, and the remaining modules are expected to be finalised by early 2027.

“Since 2020, the creation of the Electronic Agricultural Information System has significantly facilitated farmers’ access to state services, while greatly improving the transparency, speed, and effectiveness of government support mechanisms,” said Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov yesterday during public hearings of the Milli Majlis Committee on Agrarian Policy on the topic “The use of artificial intelligence in agriculture: results and prospects.”

He added, “Today, the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan is implementing the second phase of large-scale digital transformation in the agricultural sector: the new stage of this transformation is the ‘Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture’ project.’”

The Minister of Agriculture noted that, within the framework of the project, more than 30 artificial intelligence (AI) modules have been defined to enable more precise, data-driven decision-making in the agricultural sector. These modules integrate data on soils, climate, water resources, satellite imagery, field observations, and other sources, supporting both strategic management of agriculture by the state and decision-making processes at individual farms.

Through these systems, analytical solutions are generated for key issues such as vegetation dynamics, risks of diseases and pest threats, irrigation needs, and yield forecasts. This data is processed on a unified digital platform and delivered to farmers via mobile applications and other communication channels.

The minister emphasised that, in this way, the digital model of agricultural management is gradually shifting from a traditional, practical approach toward a data-driven, predictive AI-based decision-making model. This transformation will allow more effective planning of state agricultural policy and enable farmers to make more accurate and timely decisions regarding agricultural practices.

Notably, to optimise the use of the Electronic Information System for Agriculture (EKTIS), it is being integrated with the Electronic Water Management System. “The outcome of this work will be the integration of data from both platforms within the framework of the National Spatial Data Information System. This is a matter of both security and efficiency, as combining departmental databases will create a single, well-protected infrastructure,” said Firidun Taghiyev, Head of the Land Use Control Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, during a conference in Baku last October.

Thus, the introduction of new AI-powered modules into EKTIS will allow the system to accumulate and process information alongside the best international sectoral models, providing farmers and other users with convenient data access services. Moreover, thanks to integration with platforms from related sectors, a synergistic effect from the application of digital technologies can be achieved.