Leveraging Earth Observation for agriculture monitoring in Eastern Africa

Lack of timely and accurate information on crop conditions and production prospects is a critical issue Eastern African countries. Such information is necessary for informed and prompt decision making in the face of emergencies, food insecurity, and planning requirements for agricultural markets. Earth observations and Earth science data, models, and knowledge provide essential information and tools to support the functioning and resilience of food systems. To achieve these goals NASA established Harvest -a multidisciplinary NASA-funded program that seeks advance operational use of Earth observations by decision-makers, foster the assimilation of satellite and airborne remote sensing data into Earth systems models and other tools designed to address global food security challenges and to assist coordination across agencies to advance state-of-the-art technology to public and private agencies focused on global food security challenges and to ensure that food security science and applications are incorporated into new satellite missions.

Through a series of GEOGLAM contributing projects, NASA Harvest partners including NASA SERVIR, GMES & Africa are supporting national and regional agriculture monitoring by national ministries of agriculture in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and regional organizations including Igad Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC), Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), and Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD). This work is addressing monitoring needs through various capacity building activities, the development of relevant, user-friendly remote sensing monitoring systems, advanced mobile field data collection tools and collaborative internet technologies, working in close collaboration with established in-country partners. These systems have fast-tracked the establishment of nationally led crop monitoring initiatives, reports, bulletins as well as the implementation of Safety-net and insurance programs in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and the regional Eastern Africa GEOGLAM Crop Monitor System led by ICPAC.