Advancing the Uptake of Earth Observations for Informing Agricultural Decisions in Eastern Africa under the NASA Harvest and GEOGLAM Programs
Abstract
Timely information and characterization of our agricultural landscapes is more critical than ever with food insecurity on the rise, and an alarming worsening trend specifically in sub-Saharan Africa. Such information on cropland extent and change, crop conditions and crop production is indispensable for informing decisions and policies that can successfully address the growing stresses on agricultural lands, help stabilize food prices, and ensure effective responses to regional food shortages. Remotely sensed data offer a practical means for generating such information at local to global scales, and as such are playing an increasingly central role across the agricultural sector. They are increasingly being used to inform government policies and humanitarian aid, to stimulating resilience and mechanization, and to monitor progress towards agricultural intensification needed to meet global food needs sustainably. This talk will discuss and provide examples of activities under the NASA Harvest and GEOGLAM programs in that utilize satellite driven information to inform key agricultural decisions and policies across eastern Africa. These include the development of national and regional crop monitoring systems, the Disaster Risk Financing Project in Uganda and the Crop Monitor for early warning initiative. The talk will also address some of the challenges, lessons learned, opportunities and priorities in advancing the uptake of earth observations in support of agricultural decisions.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMGC21B..02B
- Keywords:
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- 0402 Agricultural systems;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 1632 Land cover change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1640 Remote sensing;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 6309 Decision making under uncertainty;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES