IHE Delft delivers intensive training on the use of remote sensing for agricultural water management

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education recently conducted an in-person training on remote sensing for agricultural water management. The event took place at IHE Delft in the Netherlands from 18 to 27 September 2024.

19 participants from Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, and Sudan attended the training, which focused on equipping them with the skills to generate and utilize high-resolution WaPOR data (20m).

During the course, participants were trained to use PyWaPOR, a Python-based implementation of the WaPOR methodology, to produce data on evapotranspiration, evaporation, transpiration, relative root zone soil moisture, and biomass at 20m resolution for specific case studies from their respective countries. The participants also applied the generated data to assess crop water productivity and calculate irrigation performance indicators, tailored to their national contexts.

This hands-on approach allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of water use in agriculture and identify potential improvements in water management practices. With the growing demand for high-resolution land and water data, the trained participants are now equipped to produce such data independently for any area and train others in their home countries to do the same, contributing to enhanced agricultural water management and sustainable development.