The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has developed mobile-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) agri-food technologies to enhance food production, combat food fraud, and protect public health.
The innovations enable farmers to use smartphones to verify seed authenticity, fertiliser quality, and soil health, while also detecting food freshness, contamination, and adulteration.
Agri-Food Integrity Engineering expert and project lead, Reverend Professor Ernest Teye, unveiled the technologies during his inaugural lecture, calling for government support to scale them up for farmers.
He explained that the tools address challenges such as counterfeit agricultural inputs, degraded soils, and weak food quality systems, which undermine Africa’s food security despite its vast arable land.
Prof Teye noted that up to 50 per cent of seeds sold in Africa are counterfeit, with fake fertilisers also prevalent, affecting yields and farmer incomes.
The technologies can detect authentic seeds in under 20 seconds, assess fertiliser composition, and evaluate soil quality using mobile devices.
They also include scanners to check egg freshness, fish quality through eye analysis, cocoa bean health, and to detect substances such as Sudan dye in palm oil and adulteration in honey.
He stressed that food fraud was costing Ghana billions in lost export revenue and called for urgent action to strengthen food integrity systems.
Prof Teye urged the government to partner with UCC to deploy the technologies widely, saying they could improve yields, ensure food safety, and position Africa as a global food basket.
The university is working to expand the innovations as part of efforts to tackle food insecurity and climate-related challenges.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com