Farmers in the Fens are utilising insights from satellite technologies to help them combat the impact of extreme weather while boosting food security.
The new study is working with East Anglian farmers, as well as farmers in Kenya, to take advantage of data from cutting-edge satellite technology.
The research is proposing new solutions to give farmers better access to the data they need to make themselves more resilient to the impact of climate change.
Extreme weather conditions have significantly hampered food security strategies globally. For farming communities, this has led to reduced agricultural yields.
The UK is the fifth wealthiest country in the world but is experiencing rising levels of food insecurity due to extreme weather that has led to crop failures and reduced agricultural productivity.
There is a growing concern for household food insecurity which affects approximately 8.4 million people - 10 percent of the UK population.
Meanwhile, the Horn of Africa experiences cyclic droughts and the most recent between 2020-2022 was recorded as the worst drought in 70 years according to the UN.
Over 20m people faced food insecurity as the crop yields declined for the third consecutive year, while lack of water and suitable forage led to the deaths of over 9m livestock.
The study aims to explore how Earth observation technologies, such as remote sensing and satellite monitoring for weather predictions and soil moisture assessments, can equip farmers with data to make informed decisions.
But despite advancements in the technology, there are challenges in getting farmers - in both the UK and Kenya - the data that would be useful to them.
One of the project's key components is the development of a mobile app that provides farmers with real-time weather data, empowering them to plan their activities with greater accuracy.
Fiona Imbali, a PhD student at the University of Leicester who is undertaking the study, said Earth observation technologies provided a 'strategic solution' to enhance better farming practices.
However, they required 'better strategies' for communicating with farmers to allay any ethical and environmental fears and improve their adoption.
“This study will engage communities from the onset of the research to understand their challenges, priorities, as well as their socio-cultural perspectives," she explained.
