BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24
By Fidan Babayeva - Trend:
Achieving sustainable rural development through digital transformation is one of Azerbaijan's top priorities, Vusala Ahmadova, an expert on economic and legal issues, told Trend.
At present, creation of the concept of a ‘smart village’ in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian occupation, is urgent, Ahmadova said.
Complex digital transformation can also significantly accelerate rural development and prevent rural-to-urban migration, she said.
“Low incomes, poor infrastructure, and difficulties with communication between town and country are some of the most serious problems faced by rural residents. Reconstruction of agricultural infrastructure is essential to tackle the root causes of poverty. The priority should be the creation of farms with the participation of small business families,” the expert emphasized.
“The main goal of the ‘smart village’ concept is to develop various sectors using digital technologies and create a new generation of rural life. For example, measuring the ground using drones, tracking fields through installed sensors, transmitting information to smartphones, and so on. On the one hand, this increases the efficiency of agriculture and animal husbandry, on the other hand, it protects the environment and ecological cleanliness, and also improves the social conditions of the local population,” she said.
According to Ahmadova, thanks to these technologies, it is possible to achieve 20 percent efficiency in agriculture and irrigation, 22 percent - in animal husbandry.
Farmers' work is simplified by remote control of irrigation, fertilization, incubation and freezing, milk production and beekeeping, greenhouses, and early warning systems, the expert added.
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