Russia and India Team Up to Teach AI How to Analyze Soil

Researchers from both countries are building AI-powered soil twins to optimize fertilizer use and fight land degradation—starting with digitized data from Russian farmlands.

Southern Federal University (SFedU) and India’s Nirma University are partnering to develop a methodology for creating AI-powered digital twins of soil using artificial intelligence and Big Data. The five-year project, supported by a grant of up to 50 million rubles per year from the Russian Science Foundation, could be extended based on results, according to a university press release.

The researchers aim to train AI models to interpret multidimensional soil datasets collected across Russia’s Moscow, Belgorod, and Rostov regions. Already, more than 90% of soil data in Rostov has been digitized, enabling precision assessments of land health, optimized fertilizer recommendations, and cadastral valuations.

The platform under development is designed to adapt to diverse agro-climatic conditions, making it relevant not just for Russia and India, but for other countries grappling with soil degradation.

The project exemplifies productive international cooperation aimed at addressing global environmental and food security challenges.