Expert Urges Govt to Harness AI for Agricultural Growth.
By Adewale Owoade
The founder of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN), Dr. Olusola Ayoola, has urged the government to invest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the agricultural sector.
Ayoola disclosed this while delivering a lecture at the University of Ibadan, Crop Protection and Environmental Biology Faculty of Agriculture.
The lecture was titled: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence To Enhance Efficiency Of Agricultural Production In Food And Industry In Nigeria: A strategic Analysis Of Prospects, Constraints And Mitigation Approaches.
Dr. Ayoola emphasised that AI can enhance agricultural productivity, ensure food security, and improve crop yields.
“The notion that AI will replace human is very wrong. Rather predictive AI can be used to detect farming patterns and predict the future of crops.
“AI in farming can be used for smart irrigation to know the percentage of water usage and saving.
”It can also detect diseases affecting each crop through AI vision. It can be used in planting and harvesting crops .
“AI can be trained to identify ripe and unripe crops for harvest,” he said.
Ayoola said that cattle herders can get from AI using drones for 24/7 surveillance, detection and deterrence of cattle herds and herders.
“24/7 surveillance detection and repulsion of pests.
“Smart tracking and geo-fencing of livestock prediction of impending attacks for farmers who take cattle around. Each cattle with its tracking device inserted in it,”he said.
Moreover, Dr. Ayoola noted that unstable policies hinder agricultural growth and called on the government to provide a 50% subsidy for AI adoption by farmers.
He also recommended equipment leasing options with a “rent-to-own” model.
