Sharing Expertise: Russian AgTech Company Launches Farm Digitization Pilot in Uganda

Russian firm Uralchem is rolling out a digital farming system in Uganda, showcasing how proven IoT solutions can enhance efficiency and profitability for growers in emerging markets.

Smart Platform Goes Global

Uralchem Group has launched its first international pilot in Uganda’s agriculture sector. Through its AgTech subsidiary AgroSignal, the company is implementing a smart digital management system on a private 500-hectare farm.

The year-long pilot aims to reduce production costs by 30%, improve grain crop quality, and enhance overall plant cultivation practices.

AgroSignal’s system integrates IoT capabilities to collect and process real-time data from machinery and field sensors. Features include seed quality control, fertilizer application monitoring, fuel inventory tracking, and analytics to support agronomic decision-making.

Farmers have access to a local language interface that continuously tracks key metrics, soil conditions, and offers tailored agrotechnical recommendations.

The platform, which is already in use across Russia and CIS countries, has been adapted to African agricultural conditions. Field consultants on-site assist farmers with implementation, helping ensure a smooth transition to digital workflows.

African farmers face many of the same issues we’ve helped address in Russia and the CIS over the past decade—fuel tracking, objective record-keeping for fieldwork, and errors in planting or chemical application. Digitizing the farm in Uganda will simplify its management and increase efficiency, ultimately improving profitability. The project’s practical outcomes will inform AgroSignal’s expansion strategy across the continent

Vladimir Korshunov

Strategy Director at InfoBis and co-developer of AgroSignal

From Russia to Africa

AgroSignal was founded in 2004 by software developers Pavel Linnick and Vladimir and Andrey Korshunov. Initial projects included equipping farm machinery with GPS/GLONASS transmitters and fuel sensors, later followed by development of a proprietary software platform in 2014.

By 2015, 50 farms in Russia’s Saratov region had adopted AgroSignal. By 2020, the system served 250 enterprises across 24 regions, and by 2024, over 400 agri-businesses were using the technology. Since 2021, the company has been preparing its solutions for international markets.

The Uganda pilot allows Russian developers to test and refine their technology for new geographies. It also gives African farmers access to a field-tested platform with 10 years of proven success on 8.5 million hectares in Russia and the CIS. The tools are practical, rooted in operational agri-business challenges.

Tapping Into Africa’s Agricultural Potential

Olga Poltavskaya, Uralchem’s Marketing Director, describes Africa as a ‘continent of opportunity’ with immense agricultural resources. The UN estimates 350 million hectares of arable land, much of which remains underutilized and largely untouched by digitalization.

Experts estimate the African AgTech and IoT market could eventually span 100 million hectares. A successful pilot in Uganda could trigger widespread adoption of Russian platforms across the continent.

This would position Uralchem as a key architect of Africa’s digital agriculture future—and signal a new phase in Russian tech exports.

Russia is increasingly moving beyond exports of commodities like grain and fertilizer. AgroSignal represents a new export category: digital solutions and operational know-how. The success of this project could significantly elevate Russia’s standing in the global ag innovation economy.

If the pilot delivers, it will also contribute to global food security by increasing yields of staple crops such as maize and soy, and boosting overall productivity in the region’s agri-sector.