EO4 Cultivar

General

Earth observation (EO) can provide timely field-scale crop observations into the high value Latin American agricultural market. However, whilst there are sources of free and commercial satellite imagery, there isn’t the capability to process and rapidly deliver the necessary crop observation data to growers and advisory services in Latin America. EO4cultivar addresses this gap. Working with commercial and government stakeholders in Colombia, Peru and Paraguay EO4cultivar is developing a subscription service called Agri-track; a suite of crop monitoring and forecasting products. Near real-time metrics for use in crop production, agronomy and business intelligence are automatically generated at field scale. This includes metrics for predicting and monitoring growth stage, harvest timing and yield potential for growing conditions and identifying crop health problems. This information might be for individual fields, multiple farms, regional or national areas and reflects the demand for timely decision support tools to improve crop production, strategic analysis, sustainable farming practices and risk management. Case studies provide new information describing agricultural landscapes. Web-based maps enable local stakeholders to view the ecosystems services provided by land (e.g. water regulation). Opportunities for nature-based land management interventions to support sustainable agricultural production and biodiversity conservation are identified. Three fully funded PhDs at UK Universities provide capacity building for Latin American students from partner countries to develop their remote sensing skills and generate new knowledge from earth observation satellites. Project objectives: • Help key growers in Peru and Colombia to improve yield. • Provision of crop information services to make the supply chain more resilient. • Improve the way Peru and Colombia undertake sustainable farming practices. • Capacity building and continued innovation from EO by supporting 3 PhDs.

Objectives

To make a positive contribution towards sustainable food production systems and the implementation of resilient agricultural practices. -To increase productivity and manage risk in agricultural supply chains. -To support inclusive and sustainable economic growth in target agricultural sectors. -To help maintain ecosystems and ensure smallholder farmers benefit from project activities