The European Space Agency Global Development Assistance (ESA GDA) team participated in the international workshop on “Earth Observation for Food Security” which took place on 24 May 2023 at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC (USA).
The objective of this workshop was twofold:
- Introduce advances in the use of EO data and analytics for food security monitoring by development, research, and public sector organizations
- Feature private companies and universities doing ground-breaking work combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Earth Observation (EO) data that can be applied to the agriculture and food security sector.
The organizations that participated in the discussions included ESA, the Microsoft AI for Good Lab, NASA Harvest, CropWatch, United Nations World Food Programme, Kenya Space Agency, DevGlobal, Impact Observatory, Satellogic, AtlasAI, Clark University and CropIN.
During the discussions, different stakeholders highlighted the importance of accompanying new advancements in EO applications with innovative approaches when it comes to organisational change, capacity building and skills transfer. In addition, multiple actors insisted on the important role of individuals and organisations that act as translators and communicators in raising awareness and supporting the mainstreaming of those technologies among non-EO expert teams. Addressing both angles has been identified as a necessary endeavor in order to achieve the sustainable long-term adoption of EO technologies.
