Tajikistan develops ZARZO app to help farmers calculate costs, profits and risks

A Tajik mobile application is designed to help farmers test the economics of an agricultural project before they spend money on it. ZARZO, developed by specialist Parviz Rahimzoda, lets users enter details including the crop, region, land area, cultivation method, soil condition, water supply, greenhouse type, irrigation system, planting dates and expected selling price.

The app then calculates capital and production costs, estimated harvest volume, income, profit, return on investment, payback period and risk level. Farmers can compare two planting options and see how their costs, yields, profits and potential risks differ.

“We want farmers to be able to assess the opportunities and risks of their project before investing money,” said Rahimzoda, the project's founder and manager. “The application does not promise guaranteed profit or harvest, but shows the expected result based on the entered data. The final decision is always made by the farmer, entrepreneur, or investor themselves.”

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We want farmers to be able to assess the opportunities and risks of their project before investing money.

ZARZO connects to data from Tajikistan's Agency for Hydrometeorology and provides a probabilistic forecast for the next seven to 10 days. It is intended to warn farmers about frost, sharp temperature drops, heavy rain, snow, wind or hail. Its calculations draw on user data, technological maps, agricultural standards, climate information, market prices, supplier offers and the experience of operating farms. Users can replace estimated figures with their own actual expenses, prices and yields.

The application is currently available for iPhone and works in Tajik. Planned additions include ZARZO AI, which would offer advisory guidance on watering, fertilizing and farm work based on crop, location, weather and plant development. Future image analysis could identify possible disease, pest damage or nutrient deficiencies, but developers say such advice would not replace field inspections, laboratory tests or agronomists. Russian, Uzbek and English versions, video instructions, voice questions and answers, and partial offline access are also planned.

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The application does not promise guaranteed profit or harvest, but shows the expected result based on the entered data. The final decision is always made by the farmer, entrepreneur, or investor themselves.