From Field to Future: YAU Launches Smart Farming Demonstration for Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture

Yezin Agricultural University (YAU), under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, is implementing a new smart farming initiative entitled “From Field to Future: A Smart Farming Demonstration for Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture” with support from the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund (LMCSF).

The 24-month project, commencing in January 2027, aims to establish a smart farming demonstration facility at YAU as a practical platform for research, education, training, technology demonstration, and knowledge transfer. The project is implemented by YAU through the Department of Participatory Knowledge Management, Advanced Centre for Agricultural Research and Education (ACARE), with technical collaboration and expertise from partner institutions in China.

Building a Smart Farming Demonstration Platform

The project will establish an integrated climate-smart agriculture demonstration farm incorporating protected cultivation and open-field production with digital and resource-efficient agricultural technologies.

The demonstration facility will include greenhouses, upland crop demonstration plots, rice demonstration plots, a water storage system, smart irrigation and fertigation facilities, solar photovoltaic power, and a central control system. These physical facilities will integrate Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, environmental and soil monitoring, automation, data collection and analysis, communication networks, and digital farm management technologies.

Through this integrated approach, the demonstration farm will provide a practical environment for testing how digital technologies can support better farm decisions, improve resource-use efficiency, strengthen climate resilience, and contribute to low-carbon agricultural production.

Research, Training and Knowledge Transfer

Beyond infrastructure development, the project places strong emphasis on human capacity and practical learning. YAU researchers and relevant personnel will receive technical training, supported by international experts. At the same time, the demonstration farm will give students, researchers, agricultural professionals, farmers, and other stakeholders opportunities to gain hands-on experience with smart farming technologies.

The project will also support data collection and analysis, real-time farm monitoring and control, field demonstrations, training sessions, educational material development, knowledge transfer, and collaboration with research institutions and agricultural organisations.

Through these activities, YAU aims to strengthen its capacity for research and education in digital agriculture and provide a platform where technologies can be evaluated, adapted and demonstrated under Myanmar's agricultural conditions.

Supporting the Future of Agriculture in Myanmar

The Smart Farming Demonstration is expected to contribute to the development of productive, resource-efficient, climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture by connecting agricultural knowledge with appropriate digital technologies.

As a university-based demonstration and learning platform, the project will support research and development, education and training, field trials, extension and outreach, while providing practical experience in the application of Agriculture 4.0 and smart farming technologies.

Through the project, Yezin Agricultural University seeks to strengthen its role in advancing digital agriculture in Myanmar and promote knowledge exchange and technical cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries.