The power of remote sensing: Global monitoring of weather, water, and crops with satellites and data integration

Abstract

Imagine a family of six whose livelihood is based on subsistence farming on a small, maybe one hectare, parcel of land somewhere in Africa. The seasonal rainfall varies greatly, from 500 to 800 mm per year, and the land is degraded. Thus, the parcel’s total productivity is not more than 1.5 tonnes in a good year, hardly meeting the family’s food requirements. The lack of surplus grain eliminates the need for grain storage structures, and due to the high rainfall variability, drought hazard is always looming, with an average recurrence interval of five to ten years.