A Pakistani student has made global headlines by leading her multinational team to victory at the AI4Good Incubator 2025, a global techthon that attracted participants from hundreds of countries. The five-day challenge tasked innovators with answering a key question: How can AI help accelerate the journey to net zero?
Mahroosh Umer, an AS-level STEM student, spearheaded the winning project, AgriGuard.AI. The AI-powered platform is designed to help smallholder farmers adopt climate-smart agricultural practices, improve soil health, and earn additional income through carbon credits. Using satellite imagery and soil data, it delivers localized, actionable insights that make sustainable farming both practical and profitable.
“This journey was a crash course in empathy-driven innovation, AI ethics, and building tech that matters, and I’m extremely grateful that kids like me even have access to experiences like this,” Mahroosh wrote on LinkedIn.
Mahroosh played a pivotal role in developing the project by creating an interactive prototype in Glide. This allowed farmers to see firsthand how AI-generated insights could fit seamlessly into daily farming decisions. The design showcased how technology could guide them on improving crop yields while meeting environmental goals.
The AI4Good Incubator 2025 judges awarded AgriGuard.AI the top prize for its blend of innovation, environmental impact, and economic benefit. Competing against hundreds of global teams, the project stood out for its ability to make sustainability accessible to farmers, regardless of their technical background.
Mahroosh’s success highlights the growing role of young innovators from Pakistan in solving global challenges, particularly those at the intersection of technology and climate action.