1. Remote sensing products and services in support of agricultural public policies in Africa: overview and challenges
- Author
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Agnès Bégué, Louise Leroux, Mamy Soumaré, Jean-François Faure, Abdoul Aziz Diouf, Xavier Augusseau, Labaly Touré, Jean-Philippe Tonneau, Territoires, Environnement, Télédétection et Information Spatiale (UMR TETIS), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-AgroParisTech-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Département Environnements et Sociétés (Cirad-ES), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), Agroécologie et Intensification Durables des cultures annuelles (UPR AIDA), Centre de Suivi Ecologique [Dakar] (CSE), Département Performances des systèmes de production et de transformation tropicaux (Cirad-PERSYST), Institut d’économie rurale de Bamako, UMR 228 Espace-Dev, Espace pour le développement, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Avignon Université (AU)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Université de Guyane (UG)-Université des Antilles (UA), Geomatica, Laboratoire Leidi ( dynamiques des territoires et développement) (Leidi), Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis Sénégal (UGB), and Université de Guyane (UG)-Université des Antilles (UA)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Avignon Université (AU)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de Montpellier (UM)
- Subjects
Earth observation ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Imagerie par satellite ,01 natural sciences ,EO-based services ,Information system ,2. Zero hunger ,early warning ,Global and Planetary Change ,Food security ,lcsh:TP368-456 ,Ecology ,Warning system ,1. No poverty ,Capacity building ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,sécurité alimentaire ,General partnership ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,lcsh:Nutrition. Foods and food supply ,Télédétection ,Public policy ,lcsh:TX341-641 ,Horticulture ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Système d'alerte rapide ,E10 - Économie et politique agricoles ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Remote sensing ,land management ,food security ,15. Life on land ,Private sector ,lcsh:Food processing and manufacture ,13. Climate action ,Gestion foncière ,satellite image ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Business ,U30 - Méthodes de recherche ,Politique agricole ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,geospatial information ,Food Science - Abstract
International audience; In the last decade, governments, international institutions, donors, the private sector, etc. have shown a renewed interest in agricultural issues in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This interest came with a strong need for information in countries where the lack of reliable and timely basic information can be a problem. Thanks to its capacity to observe the Earth at local, regional, and global scales and from various vantage points, satellite remote sensing is a powerful tool to streamline the monitoring and improvement of the existing systems, and thus to support decision-making. However, the path from satellite images to public policy decisions is not straightforward, and today, only few operational information services are available in SSA countries (e.g., early warning systems for food security and desert locust plagues prevention, rangeland production forecasting). This paper aims to analyze the gap between the technical aspects of the remote sensing sciences and the pragmatic need for relevant data to address agricultural policies in Africa and produce operational recommendations. To achieve this goal, the authors (1) determine the information, and in particular the geoinformation, needed to develop, implement and evaluate agricultural public policies (2) illustrate the role of remote sensing as a public policy tool in SSA through an overview of the current off-the-shelf products and services derived from Earth Observation systems, and (3) propose an analysis of the existing gap between the remote sensing research community and the policy makers. Based on this review, the authors conclude that to benefit from this technological advancement and bridge the gap between technical analysts and policy makers, some key points are fundamental: capacity building, political will and institutional commitment, public-private partnership, and proofs of concept.
- Published
- 2020
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