The Food and Agriculture Organization has partnered with the European Space Agency to use satellite data to help countries meet the Sustainable Development Goals and enhance global food security.
The two organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding that will give FAO expanded access to ESA’s Earth observation images that can help the United Nations agency better monitor agri-food systems. They will also exchange expertise and develop new applications that use the data.
“We want to share as much as possible — data and information — and the agreement will allow us to build capacities in countries but also especially to bring more effective and high-frequency data they can use to make decisions,” said Maximo Torero, chief economist at FAO. “The more information you have available, the better it is if you have the capacity and the technical ability to assess that information and to use it properly.”