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In a 2023 report by the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), the institution estimated that over 55 million people faced acute hunger and required urgent food, nutrition, and livelihood assistance in East Africa. According to UNICEF, food insecurity continues to worsen in West and Central Africa, with the number of hungry people set to reach a staggering 49.5 million people between June and August 2024 – a 4% increase compared to 2023. In a more recent report from ReliefWeb, nearly 282 million people in Africa (about 20% of the population) are undernourished and unable to afford a healthy diet. Africa continues to grapple with the threat of intense food insecurity due to climate change and political insecurity in various regions. These food crisis statistics display Africa’s precarious conditions due to conflicts, climate change, and the resulting socio-economic effects the region will continue to tackle.
With the propagation of space applications and technology, earth observation data and products provide valuable insights into crop, soil and vegetation conditions across the continent. These insights are pivotal to understanding the patterns of land change over time, help decision makers to predict what they can grow in the future and where, help governments and industry stakeholders to make data-informed decisions to implement sustainable agricultural practices, enhance resilience to climate change and practical risk assessments, and foster inclusive economic growth.
Space in Africa is hosting another edition of its webinar series, “Feeding Africa – Satellite Data for Food Insecurity in Africa,” on Thursday, 11 July 2024, to provide insights into Africa’s food security challenge, how Africa is utilising space technology to address it, the novel technologies in EO applications for food security in Africa, and immediate, data-driven measures that are crucial to tackling one of Africa’s most pressing issues—food security.
Objectives
- Explore effective solutions to food insecurity in Africa: To solve this crisis, experts have used various earth observation applications to alleviate this challenge. The webinar will discuss the various space-drive solutions developed to meet this need and emerging space technologies that are most effective in the quest to eradicate food insecurity in the region.
- Discuss existing initiatives using satellite data for food security and agriculture: The webinar will expand on current satellite application projects targeted at alleviating food insecurity in Africa, whether through relief programmes, disaster risk assessment, precision agriculture, and other spill-over sectors such as national security and urban development. In so doing, it will touch on the region’s main drivers of food insecurity.
- Highlight international collaborations on space for food security in Africa: The international community has shown great interest in Africa. Part of the aim of the event is to discuss the benefits of foreign resources and expertise on food security in Africa and address the need for partnerships to meet these needs.
- Identify the major challenges to using EO data and applications in Africa: At the webinar, we will discuss the inhibitors to using space applications for agriculture and food security in Africa and suggest recommendations to solve these challenges.
Speakers:
- Laure Boudinaud, Geospatial Analyst, World Food Programme (Regional Bureau for West Africa)
- Edward Boamah, Technical Manager, Digital Earth Africa
- Stephen Korir, Geospatial Data Scientist, Amini
- Mustapha Iderawumi, Senior Analyst, Space in Africa
Important Information
- Date and Time – The event will be held on 11th July 2024, from 12 pm GMT via Zoom.
- Registration Link – Registration is open to all interested individuals. To register, please click here.
- To learn more about the webinar, please click here.
About Space in Africa
Space in Africa is the leading analytics and consulting company in the space sector, serving both the institutional and commercial markets with a particular focus on Africa. Our experience builds on a long track of past projects executed for international organisations, national governments, and commercial players, with high stakes in the space business — our practice cuts across all African countries. Space in Africa’s proprietary, research-based business and market analysis predict critical outcomes in what happens next in the industry and the opportunities available. Our data-driven analysis, free of vested interests and pre-conceptions, is helping to shape the ecosystem by making available accurate information critical for the change.