Land cover and crop monitoring

Land cover and land use

Land cover is defined as the observed physical cover on the earth’s surface, including vegetation (natural or planted) and human constructions. Land use is characterized by the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover type to produce, change, or maintain it. Definition of land use in this way establishes a direct link between land cover and the actions of people in their environment. 

Land cover is significant within the United Nations (UN) framework as it influences sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity conservation, food security, and disaster risk reduction. The UN recognizes land cover as one of the  14 fundamental data theme layers as it shapes ecosystems, impacting human and natural systems. Sustainable land management and conservation of terrestrial ecosystems are crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

FAO is involved in developing and enhancing all aspects of land cover and its applications. The Geospatial Unit in the Land and Water Division leads the Land Cover Land Use International Standard development process along with the International Organization for standardization (ISO) through the ISO Technical Committee 211 Advisory Group 13 (AG 13) on land cover land use.

The AG 13 was established to advise ISO/TC 211 on the application and implementation of the ISO/TC 211 standards on land cover and land use in the UN and other transnational organizations and to reach out to the context of broader UN initiatives for this purpose.

FAO offers land cover services at global, regional and national levels using cutting edge technology following international standards. This includes: the Land cover Legend Registry, land cover ontology and classification systems to ensure consistency and data sharing. FAO also develops methodologies for rapid land cover assessment and supports member countries in obtaining accurate, up–to–date land cover and land use information.

Crop and agricultural monitoring

A key part of FAO's mandate, defined through its strategic objectives (SO), is to contribute to a more productive and sustainable agriculture. Monitoring of agriculture systems is an important part of this task. Geospatial technologies enable easier and more cost-effective monitoring of agricultural systems, allowing timely tracking of food resources, especially in remote or conflict–hit areas where ground data collection is challenging.

FAO is taking advantage of these advances, working to develop more efficient and more accurate methods of using remote sensing information for crop mapping, yield estimation and crop forecasting. The goal is to set–up efficient national monitoring systems that will allow policymakers and others to take timely decisions that protect people and their livelihoods.

Remote sensing can significantly contribute to the assessment and monitoring of land resources over large areas. Analyses of high–resolution, freely available optical and radar satellite image time series are used to detect the variability of seasonal events (such as post–flooding rice production), crop phenology and distinct land features (such as crop masks and crop types).

These techniques, when coupled with statistically sound sampling schemes, optimize and support in–situ data collection. Stratification of the area of interest and areal frame design, with multiple stages associated with statistical estimators, allow for the fast and cost–effective assessment and monitoring of accurate agricultural information over time. 

Explore the geospatial data

Land cover and crop mapping in Jendouba (Tunisia)

Land cover and crop mapping in Kairouan (Tunisia)

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