World Bank Project "Harnessing Data for Global Food Security - Capacity-Building Activities on CropWatch Cloud" Promotes Global Food Security

The World Bank project, Harnessing Data for Global Food Security - Capacity-Building Activities on CropWatch Cloud, has concluded with a summary meeting in Beijing on November 29, 2024. This project, financed through the World Bank China Trust Fund framework, focuses on leveraging data-driven digital agriculture to address food security challenges. The CropWatch platform was selected as the project’s technical solution, enhancing the capacity of Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Mozambique to utilize Earth observation data and technology for improved food security monitoring and resilience.

The meeting was co-hosted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIRCAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the World Bank Group. Attendees included representatives from China, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, and World Bank officials.

Muhammed Seid, Minister of Public Diplomacy Department (ambassadorial rank) at the Ethiopian Embassy in China, attended the meeting. In his address, he noted the long-standing cooperation between Ethiopia and China. He expressed gratitude for Ethiopia’s selection as one of the three participating African countries in the project and acknowledged the technical support provided by China’s CropWatch platform to the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research. He highlighted the project’s role in advancing Ethiopia’s food security early warning systems and crop yield estimation capabilities.

The meeting featured speeches from these figures, including XIA Huanhuan from the CAS Bureau of International Cooperation, GUO Ming from the Ministry of Science and Technology; ZENG Yuan from the State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science at AIRCAS; Michael Norton, Project Manager of the World Bank; and Girma Mamo Diga, Director of Climate Research Department at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research. Speakers underscored the project’s importance in tackling global food security issues, lauding its achievements, and affirming their commitment to sustaining its outcomes.

ZHANG Miao, a researcher from AIRCAS, provided an overview of the project’s technical training activities, which included conducting ground experiments, organizing workshops  and advanced training on crop monitoring and model calibration. Representatives from Ethiopia and Madagascar shared their experiences and highlighted the project’s contributions. Tadesse from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research described how the CropWatch Cloud platform improved food security monitoring through innovations such as field-level yield observations, high-resolution plot mapping, and yield prediction. He also expressed interest in extending collaboration with AIRCAS. Tahiana from Madagascar’s Ministry of Agriculture highlighted advancements in crop monitoring and yield forecasting, facilitated by the project’s technical training. For the first time, Madagascar achieved high-resolution monitoring of crop growth and rice yields.

The project has enabled Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Mozambique to independently monitor crops and forecast crop production and enhance government capabilities to address climate change and food security challenges. By utilizing Earth observation data and advanced technologies, the participating nations have strengthened their agricultural monitoring systems.

Prof. WU Bingfang, in his closing remarks, noted the substantial progress achieved within a short timeframe, particularly in developing agricultural monitoring capacity and implementing the CropWatch platform in the three countries. He called for continued efforts to integrate these tools into national policies, reinforcing their role in global food security initiatives.

A scene of the project summary meeting. 

Group photo.