GEOG Researchers Lead Effort to Identify Countries at Risk for Food Insecurity

Researchers in the University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences are at the forefront of the effort to notify global relief organizations and governmental agencies about developing food insecurity risks around the world. A substantial component of this work is the publication of the G-20 Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative (GEOGLAM) Early Warning Crop Monitor (EWCM) bulletin – summarizing the aggregated findings of participating institutions and scientists.

The second G-20 GEOGLAM Early Warning Crop Monitor (EWCM) bulletin was released on Friday, March 4th highlighting the severe drought conditions in southern Africa that are attributed to El Niño, as well as the effects of El Nino on rice in Southeast Asia.

The EWCM grew out of a successful collaborative relationship between GEOGLAM and the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) on the AMIS Crop Monitor project, which monitors production levels across the world’s largest crop-producing countries.  The EWCM is focused on monitoring countries at risk for food insecurity – the economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.  Its objective is to develop timely assessments of crop conditions within countries at risk for food insecurity, that reflect an international consensus amongst monitoring organizations including the UN World Food Program (WFP), USAID’s Famine Early Warning Network (FEWS NET) and the European Commission Joint Research Center.

Dr. Inbal Becker-Reshef at the Department of Geographical Sciences coordinates the EWCM initiative.  “This is a critical step for the early warning community, given that they often have to operate with less than complete information,” said Dr. Becker-Reshef. “Therefore, bringing together the main organizations monitoring crop conditions in countries at risk to discuss their assessments is helping to share information, flag areas of concern, reduce uncertainty, and thereby strengthen the information basis for agricultural decision making including mobilization of resources for mitigation of food insecurity.”  

As a testament to the value of this activity, the maps produced by the EWCM partners were included in a recent joint statement released by FEWS NET and WFP, on the expected devastating impacts of the current drought affecting southern Africa. 

More information about this initiative can be found here: www.geoglam-crop-monitor.org

Published on Mon, May 2, 2016 - 12:28PM