Platform user manual

AfriCultuReS platform user manual

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AfriCultuReS

AfriCultuReS presentation

Presentation of Juan Suarez on the future of AfriCultuReS.

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AfriCultuReS, for food security in Africa



Climate

Climate services

One of the most significant impacts of climate variability and climate change is the potential increase of food insecurity and malnutrition. Components of food security, such as yield and quality, are affected by climate-related issues. A deterioration of agro-climatic conditions also leads to price increases and the poor are hardest hit. It is therefore important to get insight into climatic trends to facilitate informed decision making on climate adaptation (and mitigation) for food security.

The AfriCultuReS climate service is part of a portfolio of services that can be combined for different applications. The other services are crop, drought, land, livestock, water and weather.

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Crop

Crop services

Multi-scale historical and on-the-go crop assessment and monitoring coupled with yield forecasts provide the basis for evidence-based decision making on food security. Historical records facilitate a better understanding of the agricultural land use dynamics and the main factors affecting food production in a given area. Current and seasonal maps on crop land use and main crops grown, allow the precise identification, location and acreage of production areas. These maps can be subsequently combined with other products, such as crop condition maps, to produce enriched information. These inputs are used for planning and prioritisation of zonal interventions aiming at the improvement of the crop production conditions or to cope with food production shortages.

To make this process more effective and efficient, AfriCultuReS has developed a crop service. The crop service is part of a portfolio of services that can be combined for different applications. The other services are climate, drought, land, livestock, water and weather.

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Drought

Drought services

The drought service that is developed by AfriCultuReS tackles two main types of drought: meteorological and agricultural drought. Meteorological drought refers to a precipitation deficit over a certain period of time. Agricultural drought is defined by the availability of soil water to support crop and rangeland growth.

The impact of drought on food production depends on the intensity, duration and spatial coverage of drought. Decision making to cope with the effects of drought and aimed at mitigating its impacts, requires the assessment of past drought events, on-the-go monitoring and medium- to short-range early warning. This also contributes to the formulation of agricultural policy related to drought adaptation and resilience.

The drought service is part of a portfolio of services that can be combined for different applications. The other services are climate, crop, land, livestock, water and weather.

 

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Land

Land services

Competition between different kinds of land use, such as agriculture, pastoralism and urban expansion, is a key challenge for sustainable land use planning. The increasing demand of space for urban and other non-food production activities relegates food production to less suitable areas. This leads to lower productivity of agricultural land. In addition, other factors, such land degradation and soil erosion or the occurrence of disasters, have negative impacts as well.

The enhancement of food production requires the continuing monitoring and assessment of these factors for improved and informed decision making for sustainable land use.

The AfriCultuReS land service is part of a portfolio of services that can be combined for different applications. The other services are climate, crop, drought, livestock, water and weather.

 


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Livestock

Livestock services

Pastoralism is a vital part of the African economy. Almost 70% of Africa’s agricultural land is used to graze animals. Especially for small farmers, animals are a very valuable asset, providing dairy products to sell, pulling power for farm ploughs and transport for the family. Livestock and rangeland management requires the assessment and monitoring of (potential) grazing grounds in a timely and regular manner to support decision making and for planning of interventions to improve productive conditions.

The AfriCultuReS livestock service is part of a portfolio of services that can be combined for different applications. The other services are climate, crop, drought, land, water and weather.


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Water

Water services

Climate change will impact the global hydrological cycle and therefore affects the patterns of demand and supply of water for agriculture, the dominant user of freshwater.

The extent and productivity of both irrigated and rainfed agriculture are expected to change. Adaptation measures that build upon improved land and water management practices are fundamental to ensure food security and to increase resilience to climate change.

The AfriCultuReS water service is part of a portfolio of services that can be combined for different applications. The other services are climate, crop, drought, land, livestock and weather.



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Weather

Weather services

The weather has a big influence on food production and extreme weather can affect food security in a very negative way. Climate change will likely cause more occurrences of extreme weather, increasing the probability of food shortages. The provision of accurate and timely weather forecasts is therefore very important and a requisite for good day-to-day farm management. Weather conditions are also used to predict the outbreak of pests and diseases and the onset of droughts and heat waves. Knowing in advance the likelihood of these events helps prevent loss of crops and livestock.
The AfriCultuReS weather service is part of a portfolio of services that can be combined for different applications. The other services are climate, crop, drought, land, livestock and water.


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This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 774652