AIR，Uzbekspace Agency Ink MOU for Agriculture and Water Resource Monitoring
Jan 26, 2024
The Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Uzbekistan's Space Research and Technology Agency, known as Uzbekspace Agency, solidified their commitment to collaboration on harnessing space technology for agriculture monitoring, water monitoring and management by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Beijing on January 16, 2024. The agreement, signed by Prof. WU Yirong, Director-general of AIR, together with his counterpart, Mr. Shukhrat KADIROV, Director-general of Uzbekspace Agency.
According to the MoU, both parties are set to jointly boost the application of space technology in various domains, particularly agriculture and water resources. The focus will be on promoting the localization of advanced technologies such as CropWatch for agricultural monitoring and ETWatch for managing agricultural water consumption in Uzbekistan. Collaborative efforts will include joint ground observations, food security prediction, and training on water resource management.
Prof. Wu Yirong affirmed the cooperation and achievements already made between AIR and Uzbekspace Agency and expressed his belief that the signing of the MOU would further strengthen bilateral cooperation. He stressed that ecosystem remote sensing team from AIR would provide technical training for Uzbekistan in monitoring agricultural and water consumption monitoring and carry out technical exchanges and cooperation in other areas of common interest to support scientific and technological management of food security and the water crisis in Uzbekistan, and he hoped that the two sides would take this opportunity to carry out more and more pragmatic cooperation.
“Uzbekistan lacks sufficient capabilities to conduct monitoring in areas such as agriculture and water resources, and urgently needs technologies such as CropWatch and ETWatch from AIR”, said Mr. Shukhrat KADIROV. He held that the MoU signed by both parties aligns with the strategic planning of Uzbekspace Agency and will help leverage space technology to promote sustainable development in Uzbekistan's agriculture and water resources and improve government governance efficiency.
The collaboration was also supported by the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO) project "CropWath-ICP" and National Key R&D Programme Project " China-Lebanon joint laboratory on modern agriculture and water management".
This collaboration is anticipated to serve as a catalyst for more extensive and pragmatic cooperation between the two nations, fostering technological advancements in agriculture and water resource management.
Prof. Wu Yirong and Mr. Shukhrat KADIROV sign the MOU.
A group photo for the signing ceremony.
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