Increasing the agricultural sector output in 15 countries by providing food producers with relevant information through satellite data; that’s the aim of the Geodata for Agriculture and Water (G4AW) Facility. In the framework of the food security policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands is initiating this programme.

Increasing agricultural output by satellite data
To reach the objective the G4AW Facility will develop a platform that supports the formation of partnerships between participating public organisations, research institutes, private sector operators, NGO’s, farmer cooperatives, satellite data/service operators and private (agricultural) sector. The Netherlands Space Office (NSO) is executing this programme, Agri-ProFocus, together with the Dutch Embassies, the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) and SNV, are supporting NSO with matchmaking events in several target-countries.

Making the right decisions on the right time
Partnerships can propose projects that put these information services into operation through public-private types of partnerships, which will cover the complete information chain from satellite data as basic input to end user information products. The information services will provide food producers with timely, accurate, and understandable satellite-based information, advices and/or (financial) products. This information will allow food producers to make the right decisions in sustaining and increasing their production and livelihood.

Matchmaking-events with Agri-ProFocus
To prepare for this call, NSO has asked Agri-ProFocus for support in undertaking a set of matchmaking activities. These activities support the process of constructing and organising sustainable partnerships with stakeholders from the countries. With the expected contributions of local public and private partners, this is to ensure well defined and high quality proposals. Countries involved are: Benin, Burundi, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenia, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Several matchmaking-events have already taken place in our Agri-Hubs and the responses are very positive! As Mark Loos, advisor of NSO put it in one of the workshops: “Without data, there is no information; without information, there is no knowledge; without knowledge, there is no good decision; without decisions, there is no economic growth.”

Impressions per country:

Ethiopia, April 30, Addis Abeba

Indonesia, May 8, Jakarta

Mali, 21-26 april, Bamako

Rwanda, 21 May, Kigali

Coming up in June: Benin, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda

For more information on the programme and the calls, please visit the website of NSO.