Agriculture
Food crops to be monitored from space─── 15:03 Tue, 30 Jun 2015
Bloemfontein - A new satellite launched by Europe’s multi-billion-euro Earth observation programme is expected to do its bit towards improving food security by monitoring the performance of the world’s food crops.
BBC.com reports that the new 1.1-ton satellite, known as Sentinel-2A, launched from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, this week.
Sentinel-2A is fitted with a camera sensor designed to detect specific wavelengths of light that detail the health of plants. The idea is that this will give international agriculture and food agencies advance notice of poor harvests and the potential for famine.
The report quotes Professor Volker Liebig, director of Earth observation at the European Space Agency (ESA), as saying the satellite will cover 13 spectral bands, including four in the so-called 'red edge' where plants, and chlorophyll for example, reflect light. He says this is especially important for food monitoring, adding it will help the World Food Programme forecast bad harvests, and reduce speculation on world food markets.
Source: BBC.com
