An artificial intelligence system developed by Sberbank to monitor and restore agricultural land has received the national “Agroinvestor of the Year – 2025” award in the “Socially Responsible Initiative” category. The technology aims to help farmers and regional authorities combat soil degradation and return depleted land to agricultural use.
Currently, around 70% of Russia’s agricultural production is grown in areas at risk of soil degradation. Experts estimate that about 120 million hectares — roughly 7% of the country’s territory — are affected by desertification processes, with 14 regions considered critically vulnerable.
One of the most affected territories is the Republic of Kalmykia, where a pilot project of Sberbank’s AI land restoration system was launched in 2024.
The technology analyzes satellite imagery and radar data with spatial resolution of up to 10×10 meters, enabling the detection of early signs of soil degradation. Unlike traditional monitoring approaches based on vegetation indices and spectral analysis, the system integrates data from multiple satellite sources along with field observations.
For each land plot, the system generates a digital profile containing more than 60 environmental and soil parameters. This allows specialists to track land degradation dynamics and forecast soil conditions one to three years ahead with accuracy exceeding 80%, while current monitoring accuracy already surpasses 95%.
At the next stage, the system will not only detect degraded areas but also provide recommendations for land restoration, developed in collaboration with scientific research institutes.
The project is implemented through cooperation between Sberbank and the Republic of Kalmykia, formalized during the AI Journey international conference in 2024.
Since more than 30 Russian regions face land degradation risks, other territories have already expressed interest in the technology.
