INTERVIEW: How I use AI to promote food security

Donald Iheaturu is a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and a farmer who uses technology to promote food security in his environment. In this interview, Mr Iheaturu shares insights on how the development impacts his career.

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PT: Did you originally set out to study and teach agriculture?

Mr Iheaturu: I picked an interest in farming as a child; I always wanted to go into farming. I am fulfilled being a farmer, and I am fulfilled being a lecturer. I am a fulfilled agriculturist. I may not have money, but I am very fulfilled doing the job. I get satisfaction from it, especially when people invite me to talk. It gives me great joy to talk to people about agriculture, and they listen.

PT: How does Artificial Intelligence (AI) impact agriculture as a course of study and food production, too?

Mr Iheaturu: AI is a remarkable tool when used appropriately, but its misuse can have drawbacks. As an educator, I have observed students relying heavily on AI tools like ChatGPT to complete assignments, often downloading answers directly without critical engagement. This can diminish independent thinking, which is a significant negative impact of AI. When students bypass the process of reasoning and problem-solving, they miss opportunities to develop essential skills.

On the other hand, AI offers transformative benefits, particularly in agriculture, where it has revolutionised traditional practices. Gone are the days when a farmer was solely identified by a hat, hoe, and machete. Today, AI tools enable farmers to monitor their fields remotely, using drones equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) technology. These drones can detect pests or diseases by surveying crops and reporting data to a tablet or computer, allowing farmers to manage their farms from the comfort of their homes.

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AI also streamlines agricultural tasks like irrigation and planting. Drones and other AI-powered tools can automate these processes, increasing efficiency and precision.

Additionally, farmers can access services like tractor rentals through apps, where they can view prices, share their location, and book equipment without leaving home. These advancements demonstrate how AI simplifies and enhances modern farming practices.

It reduces the need for traditional agricultural extension services. In the past, farmers relied on extension agents to solve crop-related problems. Now, with a few clicks on a smartphone, farmers can access solutions instantly. This accessibility and efficiency highlight the positive impacts of AI, making it a powerful tool for advancing agriculture and empowering farmers with real-time information and resources.

PT: How has AI impacted you as a lecturer and farmer?

Mr Iheaturu: There are many things that I’ve used AI for. One is Yamminisett technology. This is a technology whereby you can split yams into so many pieces, as little as your fingernails put together, and still plant them and get a very robust yield. You can cut yams into 20 to 30 pieces, unlike the traditional practice where you would dig one tuber of yam in the ground, and get maybe one or two tubers of yam in the end.

When I first heard about this particular technology, it was after my graduation. Nobody ever taught me that, so I had to go online, it was actually on YouTube that I went and perfected all that I do today. This is one technology that, for you to ask me to come and teach you, or to teach your community, I will charge you very well, because I know that it is something that once you learn it, you will never regret how much you spent to acquire the knowledge.

This is just one of them. There are so many other problems that I solve in my farm today, through the help of AI.There are so many crops, for example, tomato is not a crop that is widely grown in southern Nigeria. In Nigeria, tomato is a northern thing. I personally grow tomatoes, reason being that I have understudied tomato via the use of AI. I can proudly tell you that my tomatoes produce more. There are countless things that I have learnt from AI.

PT: So, have you used this app, where you talked about taking a picture of the plant and detecting diseases?

Mr Iheaturu: It’s a very simple app; you have to download the app. Then you click on the camera, place the leaf under it, take a picture of it, and ask what is this? And what are the possible diseases that could be affecting this plant? One boy came around me with money. I know it’s money, but I didn’t know the particular currency, so I just had to use the app to get the currency, and I got all the information I needed.

PT: What are the effects of AI on lecturing?

Mr Iheaturu: I was in a function, and the presentation was to be in less than 12 hours, and I do know that before I finish the function, there will be no time. I didn’t even have my laptop with me. So here is what I did. There is this particular AI tool that I use, I just have to direct the AI on what to do for me, and even generate the PowerPoint for me and get me more visuals and even some crafts. And in seconds, I had my lecturing topics, my visuals, I had the craft, I also needed and every other single thing that I wanted to give me.

By the time I got home, it was already late. The presentation was just a few hours long, and all I had to do was copy the already generated slides into my system. You know, since it was generated by my AI, it is bound to make mistakes. I just sat down, and within two hours, I was able to give it a human look. AI makes lecturing easy, but I advise people not to abuse it.

PT: Before AI became prominent, social media was in place. How have you been able to use social media to model your activities, and how has social media impacted or affected your job as a farmer?

Mr Iheaturu: Let me go back to 2015, when I got my first lecturing job. I got my employment letter, but I didn’t submit a resume for some reason. One of them is the location. It was actually in Lagos, and when I considered the distance, the traffic and the transportation, I figured I wouldn’t be able to do it. How I actually got that job was that though I applied, the internet was not there. I just did the application for the sake of doing it. I was called by the then deputy provost of the school and was told that the job would scale through. He told me that there were many options on the table, that what he saw on my CV was recommended, but that they wanted to recommend me to another institution somewhere in the South-west. They wanted to recommend me to an art or cultural institution, but he wanted me to be in his own institution.

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The only way he could convince the director then was to open my Facebook page and show him some of the things I was doing with yam, maize and cucumber. He said the man saw it and told the registrar to cancel my recommendation to the other institution, because they would be taking me. Unfortunately, I never resumed the job, I came to UNIZIK.

This is one of the ways that social media has impacted my career as a lecturer of agriculture. What most Nigerians are looking for these days on Facebook is monetisation. I have not been monetised, although if I can get monetised today, I’ll be happy. But then I feel like I do get monetised by a few of my followers. Out of the few jobs that I do, most of them do come from Facebook, because I practically put everything that I do online.

I got a job recently, and it has been taking me around the South-east and South-west. The person who recommended me didn’t do that because I am the only person that he knows in agriculture, but because he sees my post, and he feels like I am doing well, and that’s why he recommended me. So this is the power of social media and Facebook, even WhatsApp and Instagram. In fact, to me, social media is my marketplace; it’s where I am able to advertise and sell myself and many more.