Uduak Shared her insight during a webinar organized by Universities Canada

At a recent Learning & Sharing Webinar organized by Universities Canada for IDRA recipients, Uduak had the opportunity to share on her research. Uduak is a third-year PhD candidate in Rural Studies and a 2024 recipient of the International Doctoral Research Awards. Her research titled: Artificial Intelligence for Building Climate Resilient Food Systems in Southwest Nigeria focuses on using generative AI to improve agricultural extension and advisory services. Ensuring that farmers have fair access to timely information while managing ethical risks. Through a collaborative approach, the project empowers key actors to shape how this technology is adopted, with insights contributing to the development of future AI tools that better suit local needs

During the webinar, Uduak shared her research methods and fieldwork process. Building on an exploratory survey and interviews, she organized a capacity-development workshop for extension professionals in Southwest Nigeria. In the workshop, she led discussions on the need to evaluate AI outputs in resource-constrained settings, focusing on how to assess AI-generated information and ensure that the advice remains relevant to the local rural context. She highlighted generative AI limitations and risks, such as data privacy, misinformation, and the potential to widen gender and digital divides. Staff from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) provided technical guidance on prompt engineering, equipping participants with foundational skills to craft effective prompts and ensure relevant output.

This workshop led into an action research phase, giving key actors hands-on experience in applying generative AI to their daily work. Through this fieldwork, Uduak demonstrated strong community engagement, research, leadership, and project management skills. Working directly with end users provided her with a deeper understanding of how user experiences and perspectives shape technology adoption. Uduak concluded her presentation by sharing initial findings, reflecting on lessons learned, and outlining her knowledge mobilization plans. Her research contributes to broader conversations on evidence-based policy development and user-centered design, aiming to build stronger agricultural information systems to tackle climate change and food insecurity.