Geospatial information for African agriculture: a key investment for agricultural policies

Auteurs

Jean-François Faure
Benoit Mertens
Camille Pinet
Linda Tomasini

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.19182/agritrop/00068

Mots-clés


remote sensing, geomatics, satellite imagery, geographical information system, agriculture, public policy, decision support, research in partnership, training, land use, biophysical variable, food security

Couverture

Africa

Résumé

Version française de l'article

Geospatial information and its derived products, designed to contribute to public agricultural policy making, are not widely used in Africa. The infrastructure, training and skills are lacking, and research and development activities are dispersed and inadequate. More importantly, needs are not formalised and technological resources, driven by the industrialised countries, are ill-adapted to the characteristics of agricultural systems in Africa. Moreover, companies, institutions and projects require a stable environment to ensure operational services, relevant products and useful information. These co-constructed services emerge within long-term partnerships between researchers, consultancies and end users. Research thus offers new opportunities for using satellite imagery to document and explain agricultural transformation processes. Finally, lasting interdisciplinary skills networks are needed to facilitate methodological and thematic exchanges.

Biographies des auteurs

Jean-Philippe Tonneau

Jean-Philippe Tonneau, CIRAD, UMR TETIS (Land, Environment, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information joint research unit, https://www.umr-tetis.fr/index.php/fr). An agronomist and geographer focusing on the conditions for using spatial information in territorial planning and development projects.

Agnès Bégué

Agnès Bégué, CIRAD, UMR TETIS. An agronomist specialising in remote sensing for agricultural applications in the Global South.

Louise Leroux

Louise Leroux, CIRAD, UPR AIDA (Agro-ecology and Sustainable Intensification of Annual Crops research unit, https://ur-aida.cirad.fr/en). A geographer specialising in remote sensing and modelling for agricultural applications in the Global South.

Xavier Augusseau

Xavier Augusseau, CIRAD, UMR TETIS. A geographer specialising in the design of observation systems using spatial information for the planning and management of territorial projects in the Global South.

Jean-François Faure

Jean-François Faure, IRD (French National Research Institute for Development, https://en.ird.fr), UMR ESPACE-DEV (Space for Development joint research unit, http://www.espace-dev.fr). A geographer responsible for satellite data reception systems and coordinator of GeoDEV (http://www.theia-land.art-geodev.fr/en/), the network of skills centres working on spatial observation of countries and territories in the Global South, developed by the Data and Services centre for continental surfaces, THEIA (https://www.theia-land.fr/en/data-and-services-for-the-land/).

Benoit Mertens

Benoit Mertens, IRD, UMR ESPACE-DEV. A geographer and project leader focusing on capacity building and access to satellite data in Africa, especially for forest monitoring.

Camille Pinet

Camille Pinet, IGN FI, Paris (https://www.ignfi.fr/en). An agronomist specialising in spatial information processing. Project leader for capacity building linked to the use of satellite data in Africa, especially for environmental and agricultural issues.

Linda Tomasini

Linda Tomasini, CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales - French National Centre for Space Studies, https://cnes.fr/en), Directorate of Innovation, Applications and Science (DIA), Toulouse. An engineer responsible for the development of spatial applications at the international level.

Références

Authors' publications

Bégué A., Charrier B., Torre C., Lo Seen D., Tonneau J.P., Leroux L., Morant P., 2016. Observation spatiale pour l’agriculture en Afrique : potentiels et défis. Paris, AFD-CIRAD, collection Notes Techniques 12, 182 p. ISSN 2492-2838. https://www.afd.fr/fr/observation-spatiale-pour-lagriculture-en-afrique-potentiels-et-defis

Leroux L., Bégué A., Lo Seen D., D., Jolivot A., Kayitakire F., 2017. Driving forces of recent vegetation changes in the Sahel: Lessons learned from regional and local level analyses. Remote Sensing of Environment 191: 38-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.01.014

Leroux L., Baron C., Zoungrana B., Traoré S., Lo Seen D., Bégué A., 2016. Crop monitoring using vegetation and thermal indices for yield estimates: case study of a rainfed cereal in semi-arid West Africa. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing 9(1): 347-362. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2015.2501343

PARM, 2018. Access to information system for agricultural risk management in Senegal. Final report - January 2018. A feasibility study conducted by CIRAD for PARM (Platform for Agricultural Risk Management) / IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), Rome, Italy, 138 p. http://p4arm.org/document/access-to-information-system-for-agricultural-risk-management-in-senegal (in French).

Projects and networks involved

The Montpellier Remote Sensing Centre, France, MTD, https://www.teledetection.fr

THEIA, the French Data and Services centre for continental surfaces, https://www.theia-land.fr/en/theia-data-and-services-center/

GeoDEV, the network of skills centres working on spatial observation of countries and territories in the Global South (THEIA Regional Coordination Network for the countries of the South), http://www.theia-land.art-geodev.fr/en/

European SIGMA programme (Stimulating Innovation for Global Monitoring of Agriculture, 2014-2017), http://www.geoglam-sigma.info

OSFACO project (Spatial observation of forests in Central and West Africa, 2016-2019), http://www.osfaco.org

Other references

Copernicus, the European Union Earth Observation Programme. https://www.copernicus.eu/en

ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI). Land Cover Project. https://www.esa-landcover-cci.org

European Space Agency (ESA). Sentinel-2. https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-2

GéoSénégal. Plan national géomatique (National Geomatic Plan, PNG). http://www.geosenegal.gouv.sn/?-Le-PNG-

Josserand H., Rembold F. (Eds), 2015. Conference Proceedings of the Information for Meeting Africa’s Agricultural Transformation and Food Security Goals (IMAAFS) UN Conference, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), 1-3 October 2014. https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/event/conference/information-meeting-africa%E2%80%99s-agricultural-transformation-and-food-security-goals-imaafs

Operating platform Sentinel products, CNES (PEPS). https://peps.cnes.fr/rocket/#/home

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Publié

2019-05-22

Comment citer

Tonneau, J.-P., Bégué, A., Leroux, L., Augusseau, X., Faure, J.-F., Mertens, B., Pinet, C., & Tomasini, L. (2019). Geospatial information for African agriculture: a key investment for agricultural policies. Perspective, (51), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.19182/agritrop/00068