The Role of Earth Observation in Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Production in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of the World

Abstract

Crop production is a major source of food and livelihood for many people in arid and semi-arid (ASA) regions across the world. However, due to irregular climatic events, ASA regions are affected commonly by frequent droughts that can impact food production. In addition, ASA regions in the Middle East and Africa are often characterised by political instability, which can increase population vulnerability to hunger and ill health. Remote sensing (RS) provides a platform to improve the spatial prediction of crop production and food availability, with the potential to positively impact populations. This paper, firstly, describes some of the important characteristics of agriculture in ASA regions that require monitoring to improve their management. Secondly, it demonstrates how freely available RS data can support decision-making through a cost-effective monitoring system that complements traditional approaches for collecting agricultural data. Thirdly, it illustrates the challenges of employing freely available RS data for mapping and monitoring crop area, crop status and forecasting crop yield in these regions. Finally, existing approaches used in these applications are evaluated, and the challenges associated with their use and possible future improvements are discussed. We demonstrate that agricultural activities can be monitored effectively and both crop area and crop yield can be predicted in advance using RS data. We also discuss the future challenges associated with maintaining food security in ASA regions and explore some recent advances in RS that can be used to monitor cropland and forecast crop production and yield.

Enhancing community well-being in African drylands through technology-based solutions in the water–energy–food–ecosystems nexus

“…Farmers benefit from timely and accurate information about agricultural advancement, crop health, and yield, empowering them to make well-informed decisions regarding the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and to respond quickly to natural disasters that may disrupt food production, contributing to a more resilient food supply. 150,151…”

“…Farmers benefit from timely and accurate information about agricultural advancement, crop health, and yield, empowering them to make well-informed decisions regarding the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and to respond quickly to natural disasters that may disrupt food production, contributing to a more resilient food supply. 150,151 The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa (GMES and Africa) initiative (along with several others such as PUMA, EUMETCast, TIGER and AMESD) was initiated by the African Union in collaboration with the European Commission aiming to bolster sustainable resource management and infrastructure development in Africa to empower the continent to effectively utilize Earth observation Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology Critical review data for informed policymaking. 152 However, while these initiatives have made significant strides in enhancing accessibility to EO data and its use for the global environment and human well-being, their utilization and application still fall below their full potential in African coutries.…”

Factors Impacting Agricultural Production and the Role of Agricultural Extension Services in Kenya

“…Agriculture began slowly with only a handful of crops, and most food was collected from the wild. According to Qader et al (2021), changes in soil and weather may have supported agriculture and its continued growth. In contrast to hunting, agriculture can feed more people in the same area.…”

Oasification in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of China: New Changes and Re-Examination

“…It can be seen that arid and semi-arid areas account for the highest proportion, so this paper is mainly based on these two parts. Qader et al ( 2021) mapped arid and semi-arid zones accordingly [25], as shown in the colored area of Figure 1, where it was estimated that the area of arid zones is about 28 million km2 and the area of semi-arid zones is about 46 million km2. For the specific regional distribution of arid and semi-arid regions, some scholars divided the globe into nine arid and semi-arid regions, including North Africa, Southwest Asia, Middle East Asia, Sahel, Horn of Africa, South Africa, Australia, Southwest USA, and Patagonia [26].…”