Zambia as Testing Ground
In the current phase of ESA’s EO Africa Explorers - ARIES project, we are exploring further uses of hyperspectral data for agricultural water management and food security monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa. We also integrated a new user group of smallholder farmers to provide input in the development process.
Are you wondering how the use of Earth observation (EO) impacts these farmers’ daily work? Or are you curious about the challenges of and the most promising potential for implementing EO data in agricultural practices? We interviewed three key stakeholders that participate in our project in Zambia.
Two interviews come from members of the AKTC group, i.e. the Zambian-German Agricultural Knowledge & Training Centre, which serves as a training hub for market-oriented farmers, agribusiness specialists, and agricultural advisors. This training centre focuses on providing farmers with know-how on modern, sustainable, and climate-resilient agricultural practices. The other interview features an expert from Vista, the ARIES project lead who is responsible for Hyperspectral Product Development, Platform Integration, and Outreach.
Conrad Bwalya
Conrad Bwalya is the owner and CEO of Bwando Farms Ltd in Zambia and an agribusiness entrepreneur. Watch his interview in the video on the right.
"Smallholder farmers are struggling with mechanisation, information, and financing. They need more knowledge sharing and education. EO data is a game-changer too: they could use this science-backed information instead of assumptions for more accurate planning."
Read our previous news item to learn more about how EO data can mitigate risks for agricultural business for smallholders: Remote Sensing to Fight Risks in the African Agri-Business: A Case for ESA’s ARIES Project.
Helmut Anschuetz
Helmut Anschuetz is the Team Leader of the Zambian-German Agricultural Knowledge and Training Centre (AKTC). Watch his interview in the video on the left.
"EO data in the agricultural sector would enable an ideal yield forecast, better pest detection, and infrastructure development on the farms, but the implementation can be too costly for smallholder farmers."
Wolfram Mauser
Wolfram Mauser is Professor Emeritus for Remote Sensing at the University of Munich, and a shareholder and Chief Scientist of Vista. Watch his interview in the video on the right.
"We need to bridge the gap between the new information technologies and the farmers so they can better manage their farms. We have to produce more food with less land, so the agriculture business has to change."
Looking Ahead
With the findings of the EO Africa Explorers - ARIES research project, we aim to demonstrate the added value of the innovative use of hyperspectral and thermal satellite data for agricultural monitoring in Africa. These results will flow into recommendations for the design of upcoming Sentinel satellite missions to improve food security on the African continent. Stay tuned and follow ARIES on LinkedIn for updates.
