Data and Technology Hand-in-Hand for Mother Earth

Data and technology can help us identify challenges and opportunities to ensure the Earth can continue to sustain us now and in the future. 

On International Mother Earth Day, we are reminded that our planet is asking for help –  and we all have a role to play in tackling some of the planet’s biggest environmental concerns. In recent years, data-driven technologies are increasingly being recognized as accelerators in the progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They hold the potential to help us eradicate hunger without compromising our biodiversity or ecosystems. 

The responsible collection, use, and integration of different kinds of data from diverse domains unlocks a world of information that can be applied to sustainable development interventions, early warning systems and natural resource management. 

"Geospatial technologies and agricultural data represent an opportunity to find new ways of reducing hunger and poverty through more accessible and integrated data-driven solutions," said FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu.

In particular, geospatial information – especially aerial and satellite images captured remotely by sensors – is being increasingly used to monitor natural resources and risk areas. From pest management without the overuse of pesticides to reducing the effects of locust swarms, data and technology have become essential enabling tools for the efficient and sustainable use of our Earth’s natural resources.

FAO’s AgroInformatics team regularly explores how data and technology can increase the impact of sustainable development interventions and leads the development and scale up of the Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform. The platform unlocks millions of data layers from different domains and sources to serve as a key enabling tool for digital agriculture experts, economists, government and non-government agencies, and other stakeholders working in the food and agriculture sector. 

Hand-in-Hand for Mother Earth – over two million geospatial layers and thousands of statistics for over ten food and agriculture-related domains

There is an increasing need for cross-sectoral and interoperable data to ensure that we are addressing all the challenges faced by Mother Earth in a system wide approach. The Hand-in-Hand (HiH) Geospatial Platform brings together geographic information and statistical data on over ten domains linked to food and agriculture - from food security, crops, soil, land, water, climate, fisheries, livestock, forestry to trade and production. 

Data-driven technologies, like the HiH Geospatial Platform, are innovating how we use and analyze data to make food systems more efficient, sustainable and inclusive – ultimately, helping us to better sustain Mother Earth.

The data has been sourced from FAO and other leading public data providers across the UN and NGOs, academia, private sector and space agencies. It also incorporates FAOSTAT data on food and agriculture for over 245 countries and territories from 1961 to the most recent year available.

We are all in this together on International Mother Earth Day – Hand-in-Hand for a better future for all. 

For more information on the FAO Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform and other relevant work, please send an email to fao-data@fao.og