Cropland Encroachment
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EO Capability Benefits
Satellite-based monitoring of cropland encroachment is critical for the detection and monitoring of agricultural land expansion into adjacent natural habitats. By using an EO-based approach, scientists can make precise and comprehensive estimates on cropland expansion from local to global scales, offering key information on land-use change and impact quantification. It is key in supporting informed decisions to tackle agricultural impact on deforestation, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. This capability supports evidence-based sustainable land management, conservation, and the enforcement of regulatory actions by measuring land changes and guiding land-use policies.
EO Capability Description
Cropland encroachment can be detected and monitored with high accuracy and near-real-time by integrating multi-sensor Earth Observation (EO) time-series data with advanced remote sensing techniques. Optical and SAR imagery are typically fed into machine-learning algorithms that allow users to separate agricultural land from other types of vegetation cover with high precision by using spectral, textural and contextual information. The process of monitoring agricultural encroachment patterns can be done by applying advanced change detection models using vegetation indices and radar backscatter, together with in-situ data and ancillary information such as land cover maps, deforestation alerts and fire alerts. The use of SAR data can be particularly useful in regions with high cloud cover presence, like the tropics, allowing all year and all weather monitoring.