Russia Launches Master’s Program in Digital Agronomy
A Russian university is rolling out a new two-year graduate degree focused on drone mapping, climate automation, and AI-powered crop forecasting.
Tomsk State University has announced a first-of-its-kind master’s program in digital agronomy. Over the course of two years, students will gain hands-on experience with advanced technologies: gathering crop data via drones, remotely managing greenhouse climates, and applying predictive analytics to forecast yields. The news was reported by TASS, citing university officials.
Enrollment for the inaugural cohort is set for the 2025–2026 academic year. The program was developed in collaboration with the Siberian Federal Agro-Biotechnology Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Graduates will be qualified to work in large agricultural companies and government agencies.
The program responds to rapid tech adoption in Russia’s agro-industrial complex. In 2024, the federal government allocated 3 billion rubles for its digital transformation. AI tools, autonomous machines, smart sensors, and GIS platforms are already being deployed on a wide scale.
One application is the digital monitoring of spring wheat fields. The system combines satellite imagery and drone data to assess fertilizer and herbicide effectiveness, predict harvest timelines, and streamline operations. These tools are helping agronomists maximize yields in a data-driven agricultural future.
