Food Security Tipping Points: Using Remote Sensing to Improve Famine Early Warning Systems

Food Security Tipping Points: Using Remote Sensing to Improve Famine Early Warning Systems
Author: Prasanna Krishna Krishnamurthy Reddiar
Publisher:
Total Pages: 139
Release: 2020
Genre:
ISBN:

With a growing population and climate-related disasters projected to become more severe, the need to anticipate and better prepare for food crises has never been higher. Status quo early warning systems perform well, by and large, but complex weather phenomena are a major source of uncertainty. In this dissertation, I explore whether statistical diagnostics associated with tipping point theory can be used to improve detection of major crises. First, the accuracy of early warning systems is evaluated - with a focus on the Greater Horn of Africa. I discuss geographical disparities in early warning skill, and explore the various sources of uncertainty that impact food security projection accuracy. I quantify the contribution of climate forecast skill and conflict events in overall early warning skill to use as a baseline upon which to improve. Second, the potential applications of tipping point theory are discussed in relation to the use of remotely-sensed environmental variables for food security early warning. I evaluate the different statistical diagnostics that can be applied to identify food security tipping points and the data requirements in terms of spatial and temporal resolutions, data availability, latency and geographic coverage in order to be maximally useful for early warning analysis. Finally, I test whether statistical diagnostics of tipping points can be used for detection of food security transitions. Through this work, I demonstrate the utility of combining soil moisture measurements from the SMAP mission with food price data for identifying transitions, with a lead time of approximately 3 months. The model presented here was used to detect all major food security transitions (both towards and away from a crisis) in the observational record of soil moisture. Importantly, the diagnostics are also correlated with the magnitude of change in food security conditions which is critical information for food security planning. Overall, the dissertation advances the science and capabilities of food security early warning, which will lead to an improvement in saving lives and resources.

Contributions of Land Remote Sensing for Decisions About Food Security and Human Health

Contributions of Land Remote Sensing for Decisions About Food Security and Human Health
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2007-01-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309102952

Land remote sensing: the use of space-based satellite technologies to obtain information on environmental variables such as land-use and land-covering combination with other types of data can provide information on changes in the Earth's surface and atmosphere that are critical for forecasting and responding to human welfare issues, such as disease outbreaks, food shortages, and floods. This book summarizes a workshop on the potential contributions of remotely sensed data to land-use and land-cover change and ways to use physical, biological, temporal, and social characteristics of particular locations to support decisions about human welfare. The discussions focused on human health and food security, two aspects of human welfare in which remotely-sensed environmental conditions play a key role. Examples illustrating the possibilities for applying remote sensing for societal benefit are included throughout the report. As a result of the workshop, three themes were identified that, if fostered, could help realize the potential for the application of land remote sensing to decisions about human welfare: (1) integration of spatial data on environmental conditions derived from remote sensing with socioeconomic data; (2) communication between remote sensing scientists and decision makers to determine effective use of land remote sensing data for human welfare issues; and (3) acquisition and access to long-term environmental data and development of capacity to interpret these data.

Famine Early Warning Systems Network

Famine Early Warning Systems Network
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release:
Genre: Food supply
ISBN:

The Goal of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is to strengthen the abilities of African countries and regional organizations to manage risk of food insecurity through the provision of timely and analytical early warning and vulnerability information. FEWS NET is a USAID-funded activity that collaborates with international, national, and regional partners to provide timely and rigorous early warning and vulnerability information on emerging or evolving food security issues. FEWS NET professionals in the US and Africa monitor various data and information--including remotely sensed data and ground-based meteorological, crop and rangeland conditions--as early indications of potential threats to food security.

Review of the available remote sensing tools, products, methodologies and data to improve crop production forecasts

Review of the available remote sensing tools, products, methodologies and data to improve crop production forecasts
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 94
Release: 2018-05-31
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251098409

Timely and reliable agricultural production forecasts are critical to make informed food policy decisions and enable rapid responses to emerging food shortfalls. Sub-Saharan Africa is subject to highly variable yield, production and consumption, occasioned by high climate variability, rapidly increasing populations, and limited financial capacity. This review examines the current status of the remote sensing (RS) tools, products, methodologies and data that can help to improve agricultural crop production forecasting systems.

Remote Sensing of Drought

Remote Sensing of Drought
Author: Brian D. Wardlow
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2012-04-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1439835578

Remote Sensing of Drought: Innovative Monitoring Approaches presents emerging remote sensing-based tools and techniques that can be applied to operational drought monitoring and early warning around the world. The first book to focus on remote sensing and drought monitoring, it brings together a wealth of information that has been scattered throughout the literature and across many disciplines. Featuring contributions by leading scientists, it assembles a cross-section of globally applicable techniques that are currently operational or have potential to be operational in the near future. The book explores a range of applications for monitoring four critical components of the hydrological cycle related to drought: vegetation health, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and groundwater, and precipitation. These applications use remotely sensed optical, thermal, microwave, radar, and gravity data from instruments such as AMSR-E, GOES, GRACE, MERIS, MODIS, and Landsat and implement several advanced modeling and data assimilation techniques. Examples show how to integrate this information into routine drought products. The book also examines the role of satellite remote sensing within traditional drought monitoring, as well as current challenges and future prospects. Improving drought monitoring is becoming increasingly important in addressing a wide range of societal issues, from food security and water scarcity to human health, ecosystem services, and energy production. This unique book surveys innovative remote sensing approaches to provide you with new perspectives on large-area drought monitoring and early warning.

Remote Sensing for Food Security

Remote Sensing for Food Security
Author: Felix Kogan
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2019
Genre: Agriculture
ISBN: 9783319962573

"This volume gathers a variety of applications for remote sensing of vegetation health (VH) and concretely shows how this information can be used in service of ending hunger and of ensuring future food security. In this book's ten chapters, Dr. Felix Kogan, one of the most prolific scientists in this sphere, shows how a new VH method, designed from operational environmental satellite data, can be used to provide advanced predictions of agricultural losses, helping to enhance food security and reducing the number of hungry people. Topics covered include the scientific basis of the VH method, drought monitoring, prediction of short-term agricultural yield and crop insurance, and impacts of long term climate variability an change on food security. Short discussion on VH for human health-related topics such as detection and prediction of malaria and fire risk is included, as well."--Publisher's description.

Remote Sensing of Global Croplands for Food Security

Remote Sensing of Global Croplands for Food Security
Author: Prasad Thenkabail
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 548
Release: 2009-06-24
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1420090100

Increases in populations have created an increasing demand for food crops while increases in demand for biofuels have created an increase in demand for fuel crops. What has not increased is the amount of croplands and their productivity. These and many other factors such as decreasing water resources in a changing climate have created a crisis like

People and Pixels

People and Pixels
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 267
Release: 1998-06-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309064082

Space-based sensors are giving us an ever-closer and more comprehensive look at the earth's surface; they also have the potential to tell us about human activity. This volume examines the possibilities for using remote sensing technology to improve understanding of social processes and human-environment interactions. Examples include deforestation and regrowth in Brazil, population-environment interactions in Thailand, ancient and modern rural development in Guatemala, and urbanization in the United States, as well as early warnings of famine and disease outbreaks. The book also provides information on current sources of remotely sensed data and metadata and discusses what is involved in establishing effective collaborative efforts between scientists working with remote sensing technology and those working on social and environmental issues.

Handbook for Defining and Setting Up a Food Security Information and Early Warning System (FSIEWS).

Handbook for Defining and Setting Up a Food Security Information and Early Warning System (FSIEWS).
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2001
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789251045091

The World Food Summit, held in Rome in November 1996, recognised the urgent need for better information. As a result the FIVIMS (Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System) initiative was launched, as a co-operative venture, to assist countries and the international community to identify the "who, where and why" of food insecurity. Even before the Summit, many countries had established approaches for this purpose based on multidisciplinary networks, at national and local levels. One of these approaches, developed first in French-speaking Africa, is the FSIEWS method (Food Security Information and Early Warning System) proposed in this handbook as one of the tools available to those engaged in the fight against hunger. This contribution to the FIVIMS initiative is addressed to the national technical officers at central and decentralised level, as well as to their collaborators from the technical assistance community.