Rapper Dr. Zo and colleague Dženan Smajić break boundaries, introduce digitalization into BH agriculture

(Patria) - Dženan Hodžić, better known to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian public by his musical alias Dr. Zo,
surprised the audience when he withdrew from music after 2011. The reason was that he
decided to engage in agriculture. Today, he successfully grows numerous exotic varieties on his
estate in Topuzovo polje near Visoko.

Agriculture, alongside music, is his great passion in which he pushes boundaries, so now with
his colleague Dženan Smajić, whom he met while studying at the Faculty of
Transport and Communications in Sarajevo, he is involved in an innovative project aimed at
improving and modernizing it through digitalization and the application of new technologies in production.



- I love challenges that push boundaries, and whatever I do, I strive to achieve that.
Our new project focuses on the digitalization of the agricultural sector through the application
of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and
drones. The goal of the project is to help farmers in Bosnia and Herzegovina improve their
production processes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs through innovative solutions -
explains Dženan Hodžić.

Dženan Smajić emphasizes that one of the key aspects of their project is the use of AI
technology for automatic crop health monitoring and early detection of diseases and pests.

- We have created our own neural network, i.e., our AI focused on agriculture. Our
robots equipped with cameras inspect plants from the ground, while drones collect data from the air,
enabling a comprehensive overview of crop conditions. Integration with IoT sensors allows
real-time monitoring of soil and environmental conditions, providing farmers with concrete
data based on which they can make better decisions. The project represents an important step towards
modernizing agriculture, increasing the competitiveness of domestic producers, and sustainable
development through resource optimization and waste reduction. Our ultimate goal is to create smart
agricultural solutions that will ease farmers' daily tasks and improve
their production - says Dženan Smajić.

They will present their project on Thursday, September 12, at 11:00 AM in Ravne II Park in
Visoko.



- We hope to bring this story closer to as many people as possible who are engaged in
agriculture in BiH, and then in the region. Our activities so far have been carried out
within the EU4AGRI project funded by the European Union. The project value is 20 million euros,
with co-financing from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Czech
Development Agency (CzDA). The project "European Union Support for Agricultural Competitiveness and
Rural Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina" (EU4AGRI) is a four-year initiative (2020-2024),
aimed at modernizing the agri-food sector, creating new and retaining
existing jobs, and supporting recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus in
Bosnia and Herzegovina - says Dženan Hodžić.