In early 2017, Khizer Khan, who belonged to a family with roots in the agriculture sector in Pakistan, decided to quit his seven-year technology career, and jump into the family legacy of agribusiness. Exploring the landscape of agriculture in Pakistan, Khizer along with his uncle Ibrar Khan decided to establish Bakhabar Kissan (BKK), initially as a mission to revolutionize the agricultural sector by leveraging his expertise in technology and profound understanding of the agriculture sector. Recognizing the crucial gap in information access to farmers, which impacted farmers’ decision making and agricultural productivity, BKK commenced providing advisory services related to crop health, farming inputs, pest and disease control and weather conditions, to bridge this gap. Initially operating with a small team of 5 from a modest residential house, BKK focused on offering subscription based advisory services to farmers across Pakistan, setting the foundation for what would become a transformative journey in the years to come. BKK envisioned itself as the premier information and data hub for agriculture in the country, leveraging data to assist farmers in optimizing their produce by providing data-driven insights on crop health, market trends, weather forecasts, early warnings for pest & disease control and best practices.

Understanding farmers’ information needs and behaviour was identified as a critical initial step in designing effective information infrastructure that could bridge the information gap and drive sustainable agricultural development, growth of the sector, and ultimately contributing to national economic growth.