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A LOOK AT AGRICULTURE
FROM SPACE
The Canadian Space Agency wants to step up to the
plate to provide farmers with more data to support
their management decisions.
Eric Laliberté is the director general, space utilization
at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). His presentation
at the 2020 Farms.com Virtual Precision Agriculture
Conference & Ag Technology Showcase on Nov. 17
highlighted how the CSA can help farmers.
“The whole purpose of looking at agriculture from
space is basically to help with on-the-ground
decisions,” he said. “The goal that we seek is to collect
data that’s needed to support the development of
analytical software in order to generate information
required to support decision making and ensure the
information is available.”
One way the CSA can do this work is through satellites.
CSA can use this technology to support the ag industry
in seven ways:
•
monitor plant growth
•
assess soil and crop health
•
better forecast precipitation and risk of
crop disease
•
assess soil moisture
•
avoid waste of fertilizer, pesticides and water
•
maximize crop yields
•
facilitate sustainable management
The Canadian Space Agency wants to help producers by
providing helpful data from space-based observations of Earth
TARYN MILTON
FARMS.COM
PHOTO: bruev/iStock/Getty Images Plus