The doctor in Agricultural Engineering and professor of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Córdoba (UCO) Rosa Gallardo argues that the main risk of artificial intelligence (AI) applied to the rural environment is "looking the other way" and letting pass the opportunities it offers.
She pointed this out in an interview granted to Europa Press at the Antonio Machado headquarters of the International University of Andalusia (UNIA), in Baeza (Jaén), where she participates as a speaker in the summer course "Digitalization and artificial intelligence in the value chain of the olive oil sector: from the field to the table".
She is also the director of the Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Agriculture at UCO and defends that AI has become a key tool to strengthen decision-making in the primary sector and, in particular, in areas such as olive oil.
"We are not just talking about a technological innovation. We are talking about a profound transformation process of the agri-food sector and, therefore, technological innovation must be accompanied by social, cultural, economic, and institutional innovations," she emphasized.
In this line, she explained that the vision of agriculture 5.0 differs from previous stages, as the focus is now on the person who works the land, and not exclusively on technology, as was the case in previous years.
Gallardo specified that the incorporation of technology into the olive oil sector depends on several elements, and placed training and education as the first pillar to prevent AI from generating "another gap" on top of the already existing ones or worsening current inequalities. At this point, she emphasized the importance of reducing resistance to change.
As a second line of action, she highlighted the need to weave alliances and promote collaborative work, since, in a context of profound transformations, isolated initiatives from farmers, mills, or cooperatives "will not have much traction". Therefore, she proposes to promote networks and ecosystems that turn "real problems into research problems and offer concrete solutions".
Thirdly, she focused on the role of youth and generational change. She pointed out that many young people are entering studies related to the olive oil sector, attracted precisely by technology, which could accelerate the use of these tools.
In any case, he has emphasized that it is essential to communicate adequately the opportunities that this field offers. "We are very prone to communicate only the bad and we must also communicate the good, which is a lot in this sector, with the aim of attracting young talented professionals," he has indicated.
Finally, he has insisted that the immediate goal must be to shift the focus from technology to the user, centering attention "on the person, on the conditions, and on the needs for the adoption of technology." At the same time, he sees it necessary to advance in social, cultural, and educational innovations, as well as in regulation, governance, and data property rights.
Summer course on digitalization and AI in olive oil
The course "Digitalization and artificial intelligence in the value chain of olive oils: from the field to the table," which concludes this Wednesday, is coordinated by the professor of Marketing and Market Research at the University of Jaén (UJA) Manuel Parras.
The initiative aims to introduce tools such as digitalization and AI that allow the sector to gain competitiveness, reducing the barriers that are perceived, largely due to the lack of knowledge.
In addition to Gallardo, the speakers include Luis Martínez, professor in the Department of Computer Science at UJA and an international reference in Computational Intelligence; Carlos Parra, agricultural engineer and researcher at the Ifapa Camino de Purchil center; Agustín Andreu, director of the Jaén Agritech Venture Foundation; Pedro López, professional drone pilot and director of TecnoAgro360, and Mateo Andrades, pilot and head of Jaedron.
The program also includes the participation of Cristina Martínez, professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering and Computers at UCO; Carlos Pérez Olmos, engineer in Computer Science and director of ADJ Online, and Pedro Martínez, managing director of IMS Control Industrial.
Among the speakers are also Dolores C. Pérez, president of Icnirs (International Society for Near Infrared Spectroscopy) and professor at the Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering at UCO; Cristóbal J. Carmona del Jesús, professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at UJA; Isabel Fernández Martínez, from Servimpacto, and Antonio Berlanga, from Agroleum.