BaKhabar Kissan (BKK)

The company

BaKhabar Kissan runs a network of weather stations providing hyperlocal weather information, enabling access to agricultural expertise through digital platforms.

The problem

There are 8.2 million smallholder farmers in Pakistan working to meet the basic food and nutrition requirements of the country’s population. However, a lack of high-quality data hinders food security due to inefficient decision-making and disaster management. The lack of weather data stations in Pakistan leaves poor communities, particularly farmers, even more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

GSMA project

In March 2022, BKK received a GSMA grant to enhance its digital weather platform and provide farmers with real[1]time, hyperlocal weather information. The grant was used to disseminate content related to agriculture and livestock practices to enhance the resilience of farmers to climate change-induced weather impacts. Its platform also provides access to agriculture and weather experts who can help farmers learn and adapt to new farming techniques.

Outcomes

Deployed 155 weather stations and developed additional digital channels, such as a mobile app, to provide farmers with accurate, hyperlocal weather information.
Raised funding from Mari Petroleum in Pakistan to provide weather and agri-advisory services to farmers close to oil and gas fields in Sindh, KPK and Baluchistan provinces.

Traction

• By March 2025, nearly 12 million farmers were using the IVR, SMS and call centre.

• There are just over 216,000 users of the mobile app, more than 6,500 of whom are women. To find out more, read the BKK case study.

A message from the founder

“BKK is a passion filled entity, made up of a team who is dedicated to empowering the farming community. We believe in the power of effective collaboration which is why we are delighted to partner with GSMA. Through our aligned vision, we are seeking to mutually integrate farmers in the Agri eco-system, enabling digital literacy, smart farming advisory, aiding financial inclusion, and ultimately digitizing the Agri value chain – making it the perfect partnership.”

– Khizer Alam Khan, Co-founder and CEO