CropWatch and ETWatch Training Workshop Held in Ethiopia to Boost Agricultural Resilience in Africa
06 Jul 2026
From June 9–12, 2026, the "Training Workshop on Advancing Satellite-Based Crop and Water Monitoring Technology to Enhance Agricultural Resilience for African Countries" was successfully held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The workshop was jointly organized by the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), the World Bank, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and co-hosted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), ANSO Africa Hub for Science and Innovation (AAHSI), Ambo University, the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM), and Ethiopia's Agriculture Transformation Institute (ATI).
Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Dessalenge Teshale, Ethiopian State Minister of Agriculture; Professor LIU Weidong, ANSO Executive Director (via video); Professor Nigussie Dechasa, Director of EIAR; and Professor Solomon Masho, Vice President of Ambo University. This was followed by keynote presentations from Mr. Michael Norton (World Bank), Ms. ZHANG Liping (UNCTAD), Ms. Livia Peiser (FAO), and Mr. Sven Gilliams (GEOGLAM Secretariat).
State Minister Dessalenge Teshale noted that agriculture underpins most African economies, but limited agricultural output places severe pressures on farming activities across the continent. He emphasized that the CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms represent a shared commitment to advancing African agriculture through scientific, technological, and innovative cooperation, and provide practical data to support climate adaptation, drought management, and food security as well as sustainable resource management in East Africa. Prof. Liu Weidong stated that water scarcity and food insecurity have long been major challenges facing East African countries. Satellite remote sensing‑based intelligent monitoring systems are therefore urgently required to track crop growth, identify drought hazards early, and quantify crop water stress. The CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms can help East African countries develop data‑oriented, climate‑smart agriculture and water governance toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Professor Dechasa expressed gratitude to ANSO for its financial support and for entrusting EIAR as the local host. He expressed expectations that technical knowledge acquired during the workshop would significantly contribute to the intelligent transformation and sustainable growth of agriculture across East Africa.
The other keynote speakers concurred that translating Earth observation data into actionable information through accessible platforms such as CropWatch and ETWatch can lower technical thresholds, enable independent national monitoring capabilities, and strengthen long‑term agricultural resilience. They also called for scaled‑up capacity building and international collaboration to promote data‑driven climate‑smart agriculture throughout East Africa.
During the opening session, Professor WU Bingfang, leader of the CropWatch team at AIRCAS, gave a presentation titled "Democratizing Satellite Data Service: Introduction of the CropWatch and ETWatch Cloud Platforms", elaborating on the core strengths and characteristic application tools of the two cloud systems.
This four‑day training workshop covered basic operations of the CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms, AI application in agricultural ecosystem mapping, data preparation for analysis, field training using the GVG and CropWatch Farmer apps, thematic mapping of crop planting area, crop yield, and total production, national‑scale analysis, evapotranspiration estimation at both high and low resolutions, and the design of customized regional monitoring schemes.
A dedicated "National Profile Sharing" session was held during the workshop. Delegates from all participating nations shared their domestic agricultural characteristics and technical demands regarding crop monitoring. Based on the feedback received, the training team adjusted subsequent teaching content and case studies to realize customized training tailored to participants.
This workshop attracted more than 50 technical personnel, researchers, PhD students, and government officials from seven countries—Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Algeria—working in agriculture, water resources, meteorology and related fields. It not only enhanced participants’ hands‑on capabilities in operating the CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms but also facilitated communication and technical cooperation across relevant fields. All delegates expressed their willingness to take this workshop as a starting point to deepen collaboration in agricultural remote sensing monitoring, data sharing, and other related areas.
News Updates
CropWatch and ETWatch Training Workshop Held in Ethiopia to Boost Agricultural Resilience in Africa
From June 9–12, 2026, the "Training Workshop on Advancing Satellite-Based Crop and Water Monitoring Technology to Enhance Agricultural Resilience for African Countries" was successfully held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The workshop was jointly organized by the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), the World Bank, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and co-hosted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), ANSO Africa Hub for Science and Innovation (AAHSI), Ambo University, the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM), and Ethiopia's Agriculture Transformation Institute (ATI).
Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Dessalenge Teshale, Ethiopian State Minister of Agriculture; Professor LIU Weidong, ANSO Executive Director (via video); Professor Nigussie Dechasa, Director of EIAR; and Professor Solomon Masho, Vice President of Ambo University. This was followed by keynote presentations from Mr. Michael Norton (World Bank), Ms. ZHANG Liping (UNCTAD), Ms. Livia Peiser (FAO), and Mr. Sven Gilliams (GEOGLAM Secretariat).
State Minister Dessalenge Teshale noted that agriculture underpins most African economies, but limited agricultural output places severe pressures on farming activities across the continent. He emphasized that the CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms represent a shared commitment to advancing African agriculture through scientific, technological, and innovative cooperation, and provide practical data to support climate adaptation, drought management, and food security as well as sustainable resource management in East Africa. Prof. Liu Weidong stated that water scarcity and food insecurity have long been major challenges facing East African countries. Satellite remote sensing‑based intelligent monitoring systems are therefore urgently required to track crop growth, identify drought hazards early, and quantify crop water stress. The CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms can help East African countries develop data‑oriented, climate‑smart agriculture and water governance toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Professor Dechasa expressed gratitude to ANSO for its financial support and for entrusting EIAR as the local host. He expressed expectations that technical knowledge acquired during the workshop would significantly contribute to the intelligent transformation and sustainable growth of agriculture across East Africa.
The other keynote speakers concurred that translating Earth observation data into actionable information through accessible platforms such as CropWatch and ETWatch can lower technical thresholds, enable independent national monitoring capabilities, and strengthen long‑term agricultural resilience. They also called for scaled‑up capacity building and international collaboration to promote data‑driven climate‑smart agriculture throughout East Africa.
During the opening session, Professor WU Bingfang, leader of the CropWatch team at AIRCAS, gave a presentation titled "Democratizing Satellite Data Service: Introduction of the CropWatch and ETWatch Cloud Platforms", elaborating on the core strengths and characteristic application tools of the two cloud systems.
This four‑day training workshop covered basic operations of the CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms, AI application in agricultural ecosystem mapping, data preparation for analysis, field training using the GVG and CropWatch Farmer apps, thematic mapping of crop planting area, crop yield, and total production, national‑scale analysis, evapotranspiration estimation at both high and low resolutions, and the design of customized regional monitoring schemes.
A dedicated "National Profile Sharing" session was held during the workshop. Delegates from all participating nations shared their domestic agricultural characteristics and technical demands regarding crop monitoring. Based on the feedback received, the training team adjusted subsequent teaching content and case studies to realize customized training tailored to participants.
This workshop attracted more than 50 technical personnel, researchers, PhD students, and government officials from seven countries—Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Algeria—working in agriculture, water resources, meteorology and related fields. It not only enhanced participants’ hands‑on capabilities in operating the CropWatch and ETWatch cloud platforms but also facilitated communication and technical cooperation across relevant fields. All delegates expressed their willingness to take this workshop as a starting point to deepen collaboration in agricultural remote sensing monitoring, data sharing, and other related areas.