Digital Breakthrough: How IT Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Bashkortostan
At the Den polya 2026 (Field Day 2026) agricultural forum in the Republic of Bashkortostan, rural communities were introduced to Russia's largest agricultural drone, digital dairy farm management systems, and a range of other advanced technologies for agriculture.
Den polya (Field Day) is Russia's largest open-air exhibition of achievements in the agricultural sector and is held in nearly every region of the country. It serves both as a major celebration traditionally organized by rural communities ahead of the harvest season and as an important business event. The exhibition showcases the industry's latest achievements and technologies, including new crop varieties and hybrids, advanced plant nutrition and protection systems, next-generation agricultural machinery, including autonomous equipment, digital precision farming platforms, and smart farms for livestock and poultry producers.
Bashkortostan's Agricultural Drones
At Den polya in the Republic of Bashkortostan, visitors were shown the most powerful agricultural drone in Russia, capable of lifting more than 100 kilograms and treating up to 10 hectares in a single flight.
Bashkortostan is successfully expanding drone manufacturing and is emerging as one of Russia's leading regions for unmanned aerial vehicle production. In 2023, the republic launched production of the Agrodron A60-X agricultural unmanned aircraft system, designed to apply crop protection products using ultra-low-volume spraying. The UAV can operate around the clock, covering eight to ten hectares per hour.
In 2025, representatives from 76 Russian regions participated in the first international Bespilotnye sistemy: tekhnologii budushchego (Unmanned Systems: Technologies of the Future) forum in Skolkovo. Bashkortostan's team ranked first overall among Russia's regions and won the BAS kak alternativa traditsiyam (Unmanned Aircraft Systems as an Alternative to Tradition) business simulation.
On June 19, 2025, the State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK) and the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan signed a cooperation agreement on unmanned aviation during the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Today, the region operates more than 40 agricultural drones for field monitoring and crop treatment. By 2030, that fleet is expected to exceed 150 units.
At the same time, Bashkortostan is training the workforce needed for the industry. Twenty schools and one college have been equipped to prepare UAV developers, manufacturers, and operators. Manufacturing, education, and government support are creating a comprehensive unmanned aviation ecosystem that helps drive agricultural development.
Precision Farming and Digital Beehives
Bashkortostan's agricultural sector is undergoing a comprehensive digital transformation. Precision farming technologies are being deployed across the republic, with autopilot-equipped machinery increasingly working in the fields. About 6,000 agricultural machines are now fitted with navigation systems.
Agricultural weather stations, drip irrigation systems, and automated land reclamation systems allow farmers to regulate irrigation precisely and schedule field operations at the optimal time.
Livestock producers across the republic have deployed 37 robotic systems. A particular source of pride is a suite of neural network-powered dairy farm management platforms developed by Bashkortostan researchers. Machine vision systems monitor every animal around the clock and detect even minor deviations that may indicate the onset of disease. Similar technologies are also used at pig farms operated by the Tavros agricultural holding company.
Another flagship digital agriculture project is Tsifrovoy uley 2.0 (Digital Hive 2.0), jointly developed by Rostelecom and software engineers from Ufa. The platform includes a hardware and software system and a Tsentr upravleniya pasekoy (Apiary Management Center) single-board microcomputer that collects and transmits data. Sensors installed in the hives continuously monitor key parameters in real time. AI algorithms process the collected information and transmit it wirelessly to cloud storage, where it is synchronized online with the Edinaya tsifrovaya platforma pchelovodstva (Unified Digital Beekeeping Platform), or ETsPP. Together, Tsifrovoy uley 2.0 and ETsPP create an ecosystem for remotely monitoring apiaries.
Food Security and Exports
Bashkortostan demonstrates how new technologies are reshaping Russia's agricultural sector. The republic has moved beyond deploying individual digital tools and is now building an integrated digital technology environment for agribusiness.
The development of smart farming platforms that combine IoT sensors, satellite monitoring, digital registries, and yield forecasting systems with modernization of breeding programs can increase agricultural output and help provide consumers with affordable food. ERP systems integrate financial and production operations into unified farm management platforms, improving the profitability of agricultural businesses. That, in turn, can expand exports of Russian food products, for which global demand is expected to continue rising as increasingly severe weather events affect agricultural production worldwide.
Exports of integrated Russian agricultural technologies could prove even more promising. Affordable platforms that combine breeding innovations with smart farming systems are likely to find strong demand in countries across the Global South and Latin America.
