The following resources cover ESA-funded projects and open tools relevant to users applying Earth
Observation in food systems — from crop mapping and soil monitoring to agricultural policy compliance, disease
surveillance, and food security early warning.
Crop mapping
WorldCereal
Produces global, seasonally updated cropland and crop type maps at 10 m resolution using
Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Landsat data. The open-source, cloud-based processing system lets any user train and
apply custom crop detection models. Products cover temporary crop extent, maize, winter and spring cereals,
irrigation extent, and active cropland — freely available for food security analysis, national reporting, and
SDG tracking.
Soil monitoring
WorldSoils (WORLDSOILS)
Develops a global, EO-based Soil Monitoring System focused on yearly estimation of Soil
Organic Carbon (SOC) at 100 m resolution globally and 50 m over Europe. Built on Sentinel-2 time series, soil
spectral libraries and digital soil mapping techniques. Provides a downloadable SOC product browser and is
designed for use by national soil reporting authorities, agricultural agencies and researchers.
CAP eco-schemes
PEOPLE4newCAP
Demonstrates and validates EO and sensor-based monitoring to support implementation of the
EU's New Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2023–2027), with a focus on eco-scheme compliance at national and farm
level. Develops monitoring capabilities for crop rotation, fallow land, permanent grassland management, winter
soil cover, catch crops and crop water demand. Works directly with Paying Agencies in Czechia, Netherlands,
Sweden and Spain.
Supply chains & EUDR
World AgroCommodities (WAC)
Develops open-source, cloud-native EO methods to support EU Member States in verifying
deforestation-free supply chains under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Maps and monitors the seven EUDR
commodities — soy, beef, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rubber and wood — in tropical deforestation-risk countries
using Copernicus Sentinel data. Targets national Competent Authorities, commodity traders and supply chain
actors.
Crop disease surveillance
Sen4Rust
Integrates Sentinel-2 satellite data into the Ethiopian Wheat Rust Early Warning and Advisory
System (EWAS). Maps wheat extent and phenology at 10 m resolution to improve spore dispersal and
epidemiological forecasting models, providing near-real-time support to national authorities. Directly relevant
to food security practitioners working on crop disease monitoring, agricultural risk management and early
warning in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Global crop conditions
GEOGLAM Crop Monitor
A free, open, science-driven platform providing monthly consensus assessments of crop
conditions for the four major traded grains (wheat, maize, rice, soy) across major producing countries, in
support of the G20 Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS). A separate Crop Monitor for Early Warning
covers food-insecure nations with input from 40+ partner organisations. Also provides interactive access to
satellite vegetation, rainfall and soil moisture data by crop and region.
Early warning
JRC ASAP — Anomaly Hotspots of Agricultural Production
An EU Joint Research Centre decision support tool for early warning of agricultural
production anomalies (crops and rangelands) in food-insecure countries. Updated every 10 days using NDVI,
rainfall and water balance indicators derived from MODIS, Sentinel-1/2 and Landsat. Provides monthly hotspot
assessments with written narratives for 81 food-insecure countries, plus a high-resolution viewer based on
Google Earth Engine. Free and openly accessible.
Food security early warning
FAO GIEWS — Global Information and Early Warning System
FAO's long-running global food security monitoring system, tracking food supply, crop
production, and market conditions across all regions. Combines satellite-derived vegetation and rainfall
indicators with national statistics and FAO field office reports to produce country and regional food security
updates, crop assessments, and early warning briefs for food-insecure and crisis-affected countries.
Yield forecasting
JRC MARS — Monitoring Agricultural Resources
The JRC's operational agro-meteorological monitoring and crop yield forecasting system for
Europe and key global producing regions. Integrates satellite imagery, meteorological data, and biophysical
crop models to produce regular crop monitoring bulletins and seasonal yield forecasts used by EU agricultural
policy makers and global food security analysts.
Famine early warning
FEWS NET — Famine Early Warning Systems Network
A USAID-led network (with NASA, USGS and partner agencies) providing integrated food
security monitoring and outlook reports for food-insecure countries across Africa, Central Asia, and Latin
America. Combines satellite data, climate model outputs, market and price information, and field reports to
produce IPC-aligned food security projections and crisis alerts used by humanitarian and development actors
worldwide.
Crop monitoring
NASA Harvest
NASA's applied sciences program for food security, agriculture, and food systems,
translating NASA EO assets into operational crop monitoring and yield estimation tools. Works closely with
GEOGLAM, national agricultural agencies, and WFP to improve global and country-level crop condition
assessments. Develops open data products and decision-support tools integrating Landsat, MODIS, Sentinel and
commercial satellite data.
Global crop conditions
CropWatch
A global crop monitoring system developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences combining EO
data, climate indicators, and agricultural statistics to track growing conditions for major crops (wheat,
maize, rice, soy) across all main producing regions. Produces quarterly crop monitoring reports and interactive
online visualisations of vegetation, temperature, precipitation, and yield anomaly indicators at global and
country scales.
Vegetation & soil products
Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS)
Provides a wide portfolio of global biophysical variables updated at near-real-time to
10-day frequency, including vegetation indices (NDVI, FAPAR, LAI), land surface temperature, soil water index,
and land productivity indicators. Products support crop condition monitoring, drought assessment, irrigation
monitoring and agro-meteorological analysis. All data are freely available for download and via APIs.
Land monitoring platform
FAO SEPAL
A free, open-source cloud computing platform providing no-code and scripted access to
Landsat, Sentinel-1/2 and Planet data for land cover classification, change detection, area estimation, and
food-security-relevant monitoring. Dedicated modules cover forest restoration planning, near-real-time
disturbance alerts, and peatland rewetting monitoring. Used by over 7,000 users in 180 countries, including
national agricultural and forestry agencies.
Open-source GIS
GRASS GIS
A free, open-source geographic information system providing tools for spatial analysis,
remote sensing image processing, and environmental modelling. Widely used for agricultural applications
including crop growth modelling, land use and land cover classification, soil mapping, and hydrological
analysis. Integrates with Python, R, and QGIS, and supports processing of Sentinel, Landsat, and other EO
data through a large library of community-contributed modules.
