Evaluating Agriculture In Niger Using Remotely-Sensed Data

Climate change is exacerbating food insecurity around the world, particularly in drought-prone areas that are already highly vulnerable, such as the Sahel region of West Africa. A number of projects are being implemented throughout the region to combat this threat; however, they are difficult to monitor and their effectiveness is uncertain. With an increase in the availability of high-quality open-source satellite data on relevant indicators (e.g. cultivation, vegetation growth, or poverty), there has been a rapidly growing interest in leveraging this data for evaluations, especially in remote and fragile contexts where high-frequency and granular data may not be available on the ground.
To improve food security and resilience, the government of Niger, with funding from the West African Development Bank (BOAD), implemented a multi-faceted agricultural production intensification program in 2011 (PIPA/SA). The BOAD commissioned this research team to measure its impacts using remotely-sensed data.

Highlights

Vegetation and agricultural production increased in two project regions, according to preliminary results.

These preliminary results do not necessarily show whether the project caused the results – however, these increases are promising indications that an impact evaluation should be conducted to rigorously measure its impact.

Remotely-sensed data accurately reflected the expected seasonality in Niger, highlighting the need to account for changes in rainfall, particularly for regions that are sensitive to climatic events (floods or drought).

Remotely-sensed data on water levels may not be accurate or reliable in regions that are extremely arid and dry and require more granular analysis on closely defined bodies of water.

Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/niger/evaluating-agriculture-niger-using-remotely-sensed-data-preliminary-lessons