Document Type : lk
Author
Department of Agriculture, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Achieving sustainable agriculture requires enhancing farmers' environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior; however, agricultural environmental education management faces persistent limitations, including a shortage of specialized personnel, one-way content delivery, and limited personalization of educational messages. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models offers a new opportunity to redesign this system. This paper examines the capacities, challenges, and requirements of applying generative AI to farmers' environmental education management and proposes a conceptual framework for designing such a system in line with sustainable agricultural development.
This study used an analytical review of the scientific literature. Findings indicate that generative AI can enhance farmers' environmental literacy through personalized education on sustainable water and soil management, localized content on reducing chemical input use, and immediate feedback on the environmental consequences of farming decisions. Based on these findings, the study proposes a five-layer conceptual framework, the "Smart Agricultural Environmental Education Extension Agent," comprising four operational layers, input, processing, specialized knowledge, and educational services, and one overarching governance layer responsible for resource allocation, performance evaluation, and risk management, linking the framework to the broader agricultural extension management system. AI here acts as a knowledge intermediary between environmental science and farmers, not a replacement for human trainers or managers. Limitations in localized environmental data, the rural-urban digital divide, linguistic and cultural differences, and the risk of inaccurate content generation remain major barriers. Effective implementation requires redefining the role of extension managers, targeted resource allocation, organizational change management, and a collaborative human-AI approach to education.
Keywords
- Agricultural Environmental Education Management
- AI Governance
- Environmental Literacy
- Generative AI
- Sustainable Agriculture
Main Subjects
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