WEBINAR: real-world applications of space data to address food security

24 June 2020. The Space Enabled Research Group (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Secure World Foundation are hosting a webinar series focusing on space data for the SDGs.

A first webinar on SDG2: Zero Hunger featured panelists from the World Food Programme (WFP), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Group on Earth Observations (GEO), FluroSat, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Video recording forthcoming

The United Nations has set ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture as part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A rapidly growing global population, socio-economic development, limited production resources and changing climate, play a significant role in increasing the vulnerability of sustainable food systems around the world. Data derived from space technologies such as navigation, communication and remote sensing capabilities play a unique role in addressing food security challenges, and guiding policy makers on today's policies for future food security.

Objectives

• Examples of real-world applications of space data to address food security around the world
• Demonstrate the role of space technology as an effective observation-based policy tool for monitoring food security, and increasing agricultural productivity and production
• Highlight potential technical barriers that limit the operational use of Earth Observation by decision makers
• Share pathways of collaboration and coordination between agencies and organizations working on food security.

Panelists

• Dr Inbal Becker-Reshef is the Director of NASA Harvest (NASA’s Applied Science Program on Food Security and Agriculture housed at University of Maryland) and Program Scientist at the GEOGLAM Secretariat. Her work is focused on the application of satellite information for agricultural monitoring from the field to global scales, in support of decisions in food security and agricultural markets. 
• Dr. Arif Husain is Chief Economist and Director of Research, Assessments and Monitoring Division at United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, Italy. 
• Dr. Anastasia Volkova is a TEDx Speaker, an MIT 35 Under 35 Innovator in APAC and an Amelia Earhart Fellow. In late 2016 she founded FluroSat, and since then has taken the company through a transformational journey of commercialising agricultural science, raising from leading investors (Microsoft M12, AirTree, Space Angels) and growing its decision support platform to support users in more than 14 countries globally. 
• (Moderator) Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy is a Research Engineer within the Space Enabled research group at the MIT Media Lab. In this role, she helps coordinate projects in collaboration with international development organizations, national governments and entrepreneurial companies to apply space technology in support of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.