Satellite-Based CropWatch Monitoring Training Enhances Agricultural Resilience in Southern Africa

Over 40 policymakers, researchers, academics, and students from Botswana, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia convened in Lusaka, Zambia on April 8–11, 2025 for the workshop "Advancing Satellite-based Monitoring to Enhance Agricultural Resilience for the Global South." Co-organized by the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Zambia (UNZA), with support from the CAS-ANSO Conference Program 2025, the event focused on leveraging satellite remote sensing technologies to combat food insecurity and promote sustainable agricultural growth in Southern Africa, a region facing critical food security challenges but with huge potential to become a global breadbasket.

Participants engaged in hands-on training with the CropWatch cloud platform—a cutting-edge system developed by AIR that integrates satellite remote sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics. The platform provides near real-time crop condition assessments, disaster early warnings, and yield predictions, enabling governments to make decisions on resource allocation and policy designing.

Training sessions covered satellite data integration using 3S technology (Remote Sensing, GIS, and GPS), machine learning models, and practical applications of AI tools such as CropWatchGPT, a large language model-based platform for crop monitoring. Field exercises equipped attendees with skills to utilize the GVG app for ground data collection and FieldWatch for real-time monitoring. Case studies demonstrated how to adapt these technologies to local contexts, emphasizing the use of open-access data from the CropWatch Cloud platform to develop scalable solutions.

Interactive discussions further explored strategies to refine crop area estimation, optimize yield forecasts, and strengthen early warning systems against climate risks.

The workshop also deepened China-Africa collaboration, with institutions like Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the University of Zimbabwe, and UNZA pledging to expand the adoption of CropWatch across the region. These partnerships aim to tailor the platform's functionality to Africa's unique agricultural needs, enhancing accessibility and impact.

Looking ahead, AIR reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the CropWatch platform through partnerships with ANSO and Global South institutions. Future efforts will prioritize technical training, platform upgrades, and policy support to bolster agricultural resilience and accelerate progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of "Zero Hunger."

Group photo of the workshop. (Image by AIR)