Scottish geospatial expertise is to play a role in a UK Space Agency trial bringing satellite data insights to improve farming techniques.
The GeoCrop programme involves six partners including Glasgow-based EOLAS Insight and the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) – to help farmers make more informed decisions, boost productivity and care for the environment.
The pilot will develop a first version of a new data service that combines satellite images, weather information and supply chain insights.
The tool will help farmers understand which factors, such as soil moisture, temperature and market timing, might affect the success of a crop.
It is one of two four‑month pilot projects which will work directly with farmers, growers and technology suppliers to co-develop solutions that give farmers tools to inform decision-making on cropping and land health.
‘Every year, farmers face a difficult balancing act when planning crops,’ the UK Space Agency said on a new blog post this week. ‘Planting earlier in the season can secure higher prices by reducing reliance on imports, but early planting also comes with risks, especially when weather patterns are unpredictable.’
Building on the Unlocking Space for Agriculture initiatives delivered across Scotland and the East of England by Space Scotland and Space East and supported through the UK Space Agency’s Space Cluster Partnership Programme, the UK Space Agency’s Unlocking Space for Business (USB) programme, which aims to accelerate commercial adoption of satellite-enabled solutions by businesses, is funding two four‑month pilot projects.
The second project, known as Space Enabled Decarbonisation, Environmental and Regenerative Solutions (SEDERS), focuses on helping farmers measure and improve the health of their land.
This four-month research and development project brings together Oversite Earth, Barlow Farming Company, Gledpark Farm and Inforgen.
Their goal is to show how satellite Earth Observation data from space can be combined with small sensors placed in fields, to validate remotely sensed data and give farmers a clear picture of their overall ‘nature capital’ over time.
