EO for Agroclimatic Resilience and Climate-Smart Agriculture, Rwanda and Uganda
The GDA Agriculture consortium collaborated with the World Bank in Rwanda and Uganda to deliver EO-based tools for crop type mapping, phenology, biomass, and yield estimation, supporting efforts to strengthen agroclimatic resilience and climate-smart agriculture through enhanced monitoring and data-driven planning.
Description
As part of the GDA Agriculture Consortium, GMV worked with World Bank teams in Rwanda and Uganda to develop and deliver Earth Observation (EO)-based products aimed at strengthening agroclimatic resilience and supporting climate-smart agriculture. These activities were aligned with two major World Bank-funded initiatives: the “Commercialization and De-Risking for Agricultural Transformation Project” in Rwanda and the “Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project (UCSATP).” Both projects focus on increasing agricultural productivity, resilience to climate risks, and improving rural livelihoods through technology and institutional support.
The EO services developed were tailored to provide key agricultural indicators – such as crop type distribution, crop phenology, biomass production, and yield estimates – using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery and climate reanalysis datasets. In Rwanda, GMV produced EO products for mapping maize and rice, estimating crop dry matter productivity using the CASA model, and estimating yields based on Harvest Index methodology. Similar services were deployed in Uganda, where the potential for EO integration into long-term planning was further explored through a technical concept note and discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAIF).
In Uganda, the value of EO data was especially recognised for its ability to provide reliable and systematic monitoring across large and remote areas, overcoming challenges related to infrastructure and in-situ data limitations. Continued engagement and capacity development are seen as essential next steps for mainstreaming EO into national agricultural and environmental decision-making frameworks.