December 18, 2025

[Digital Agriculture in Practice #2] In a landmark partnership, ListenField joins forces with regional universities and ADB to transform agriculture in the Mekong

Pakse, Lao PDR - On December 18, 2025, ListenField formalized a landmark partnership with Champasak University (Lao PDR) and Kasetsart University (Thailand), with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to accelerate the adoption of climate-smart and data-driven agriculture across the Mekong River Basin.

This collaboration brings together regional academic leadership, cutting-edge digital agriculture technologies, and development finance expertise to address one of the Mekong’s most pressing challenges: enabling smallholder farmers to adapt to intensifying climate risks while sustaining productivity, incomes, and food security.

From Research and Pilots to Regional Action 

Universities across the Mekong have long generated valuable agronomic research and field-based innovations[1][2]. Development partners, including ADB, have supported policy reform, infrastructure, and climate investment. Yet a persistent gap remains between research, policy, and what farmers can practically use at the field level.

This partnership aims to close the gap by working in close coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and various government agencies, specifically by: 

  • Academic Research: Leading agricultural universities providing research and knowledge transfer 
  • Technology Innovation: ListenField's AI-powered soil intelligence and precision agriculture platform 
  • Financial Support: ADB's commitment to sustainable development in the Mekong region 
  • Government Engagement: Policy alignment and farmer outreach through ministry networks
Introduction on data-driven farm management

Why the Mekong Region Matters

The Mekong River Basin supports more than 60 million people whose livelihoods depend directly on agriculture. In many rural areas, smallholder farmers operate under rainfed conditions with limited access to soil testing, extension services, or digital tools. Climate volatility has intensified long-standing challenges—unpredictable rainfall, declining soil fertility, and growing production risks—making traditional practices increasingly insufficient.

Addressing these challenges requires more than isolated pilots. It demands regional collaboration, shared data frameworks, and solutions that are adaptable across crops, landscapes, and national boundaries.

Grounded, Practical Climate-Smart Solutions for Farmers 

Through this partnership, ListenField will work closely with university researchers, extension staff, and farmers to deploy the FarmAI platform as a practical decision-support tool. Initial applications focus on:

  • Real-time soil health assessment using NIR spectroscopy to reduce reliance on slow and costly laboratory tests
  • AI-powered crop recommendations adapted to changing climate conditions 
  • Precision input management to reduce costs and environmental impact 
  • Data-driven farm management, enabling farmers and institutions to monitor performance, risks, and outcomes over time

Looking Ahead 

This partnership represents a step toward a more integrated approach to agricultural development in the Mekong—one that connects research, technology, policy, and farmers through shared objectives and interoperable systems.

As Dr. Rassarin, CEO of ListenField, notes:

"By working across borders and sectors, we can build the resilient agricultural systems that the Mekong region needs for a sustainable future".

As we now move from planning to field implementation, we aim to generate practical evidence about what works for smallholders before wider take-up across the Mekong. In the coming posts, we will share insights from this work as ListenField continues its efforts to make digital agriculture more accessible to smallholder farmers.

References

  1. https://mekonginstitute.org/study-on-smart-agricultural-technologies-reveals-clmv-in-the-early-stages-of-adoption/
  2. https://mekonginstitute.org/regional-training-on-climate-smart-production-technologies/

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