AfriCultuReS

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 774652.

AfriCultuReS (Enhancing Food Security in African Agricultural Systems with the Support of Remote Sensing) was a European research and innovation project, coordinated by GMV, aimed at improving food security in Africa through the development and demonstration of an integrated agricultural monitoring system, early warning, and decision support based on Earth observation technologies.

The project made it possible to develop a geospatial services platform capable of integrating information from satellites, field observations, meteorological and climate models, and other data sources to provide relevant information on crop conditions, water availability, environmental conditions, and risks affecting agricultural production.

AfriCultuReS helped improve the monitoring and evaluation capabilities of African agricultural systems by facilitating access to climate, biophysical, and production data to support agricultural planning, sustainable natural resource management, adaptation to climate change, and the prevention of food insecurity.

 

Monitoring African Agricultural Systems

AfriCultuReS brought together a consortium of European and African organizations, with the support of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), and established synergies with international initiatives such as AfriGEOSS, GEOGLAM, and other programs dedicated to agricultural and environmental monitoring.

One of the project's main outcomes was the development and integration of advanced Earth observation services tailored to the characteristics and needs of various African agricultural systems.

These services combined data from multiple sources, including images from the Sentinel satellites of the European Copernicus program, in situ observations, meteorological and climate information, and agricultural simulation models.

The integration of these sources made it possible to develop and demonstrate capabilities for:

·       Crop monitoring and agricultural production estimation: tracking crop development and condition, identifying cultivated areas, and estimating yields and biomass.

·       Monitoring of droughts and extreme weather events: analysis of drought conditions, floods, and other climate-related risks that affect agricultural production.

·       Water resource management: monitoring surface water bodies, soil moisture, crop water requirements, and water availability.

·       Monitoring of the territory and ecosystems: mapping of land use and land cover, assessment of land degradation, and monitoring of pastures and resources used for livestock farming.

·       Climate services and early warning: generating information to anticipate adverse conditions and facilitate agricultural planning and adaptation to climate change.

The services were developed and demonstrated through use cases in eight African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, and Tunisia, addressing different agroclimatic contexts and institutional needs.

 

Integrated Decision-Support Platform

 One of AfriCultuReS’s key technological developments was its decision-support platform (AfriCultuReS Decision Support System, ADSS), designed to facilitate access to, visualization of, and analysis of geospatial information related to agriculture and food security.

The platform integrated the products and services developed by the project into a web-based environment, allowing users to access information on crop conditions, water resources, weather conditions, and environmental risks.

Its architecture was designed in accordance with interoperability principles and international geospatial standards, facilitating the exchange of information and its potential integration with other Earth observation infrastructures and systems, including the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

The system demonstrated the potential of combining satellite data, predictive models, and geospatial analysis tools to improve the ability of government agencies, technical organizations, and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector to assess risks, anticipate critical situations, and base their decisions on objective and up-to-date information.

 

International Cooperation and Knowledge Transfer

 AfriCultuReS placed special emphasis on the participation of African institutions and on adapting technological developments to the needs of their end users.

Throughout the project, activities related to consultation, demonstration, validation, training, and knowledge transfer were organized in collaboration with public agencies, research centers, technical institutions, and other stakeholders involved in agriculture and food security.

These activities made it possible to assess the usefulness of the services developed, identify opportunities for improvement, and strengthen local capacity to utilize Earth observation data in agricultural and environmental management.

The project also helped strengthen cooperation between Europe and Africa in the field of space applications, promoting the use of data from the Copernicus program and its integration with local capabilities and expertise.

 

Results and Contribution to Food Security

 AfriCultuReS culminated in the development and demonstration of an integrated set of geospatial information services designed to improve agricultural monitoring and the management of risks associated with food security in Africa.

Among its key contributions are the integration of Earth observation technologies and agroclimatic models, the development of decision-support tools, the validation of applications in various African agricultural settings, and the strengthening of scientific and technological cooperation between European and African institutions.

The project's results provided a technological and methodological foundation for the development of agricultural monitoring and early warning services, demonstrating the value of satellite data in promoting more resilient agriculture, improving natural resource management, and supporting food security policies.