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Space tech drives innovation in the food supply chain
2025-02-10
By Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures, University of Leicester
Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures at the University of Leicester, is at the forefront of exploring how space technology can transform the food value chain in response to the growing challenges of climate change.
What sparked your interest in linking space technology with the food value chain?
The urgency of addressing climate change has never been more pressing. As the world struggles to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, it is essential that we decarbonise our food production and distribution systems. Satellites’ ability to monitor the Earth’s surface in near-real time allows us to detect land use changes and climate impacts, which enhances the resilience of our food systems and supply chains.
How can satellite data enhance agricultural practices and monitoring?
Satellite data provides invaluable insights into crop health, yield forecasting, pest detection, and disease management, as well as irrigation optimization. With the help of multispectral and hyperspectral satellite imagery, farmers can pinpoint specific areas of their fields that require fertilization, significantly reducing the amount of fertilizer needed overall. Remote sensing also enables large-scale monitoring of land use changes and identifies vulnerabilities in supply chains due to regional climate effects and extreme weather events.
Which space technologies hold the most promise for the food sector?
Technologies such as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) are crucial for monitoring soil moisture, while optical imagery excels in vegetation assessment. Moreover, the integration of advanced machine learning and AI algorithms applied to Earth observation data could revolutionise precision agriculture, provided that their reliability is established.
Can you share successful examples of space technology applications in agriculture or food distribution?
There are many examples. One is a drought monitoring initiative in Kenya, where an agricultural crop insurance scheme activates automatic payments for farmers based on satellite data showing crop failures. This enhances farmers’ resilience to extreme weather. Another success story is the GEOGLAM Crop Monitor, which delivers timely, science-driven information on global crop conditions, fostering market transparency and early warnings for production shortfalls.
How is climate change reshaping food production, and how can technology help mitigate its impacts?
Climate change is already affecting rainfall patterns and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, altering the viability of certain crops in various regions. Space technology enables better monitoring of severe weather conditions, enhances weather forecasting accuracy, and provides early detection of crop impacts, allowing for timely adaptations to climate challenges.
How can collaboration among start-ups, established businesses, and academics be enhanced for these initiatives?
Universities often engage in high-risk/high-reward research that leads to significant innovations, while businesses excel in translating these inventions into market-ready applications. Business Incubation Centres, like the European Space Agency’s BIC at Space Park Leicester, offer critical support for start-ups. Additionally, collaborative funding schemes, such as those from Innovate UK, can incentivise partnerships between academic and industry sectors.
What economic incentives exist for businesses to adopt space technology and sustainable practices?
Integrating space technology can drive resource efficiency and cost reduction while enhancing environmental sustainability in the food value chain. For example, precision agriculture reduces resource consumption, while satellite crop monitoring can mitigate risks arising from climate change impacts for traders and food importers.
How can we facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, technologists, and industry professionals?
I believe that transdisciplinary research is the way forward. This involves co-designing research projects with input from businesses and stakeholders. This collaborative approach not only ensures that research is innovative and relevant but also enhances the project’s impact and applicability once funded.
What are the main barriers to adopting space technology in agriculture and food distribution?
The key challenges include a lack of technical expertise among end-users, concerns regarding data trustworthiness, the costs associated with services and products, and limited access to satellite data in certain regions due to internet costs and inadequate computing infrastructure. Additionally, users need assurance about the continuity of satellite missions to feel confident in altering their practices. The European Copernicus programme is one of the world’s most successful operational satellite programmes that guarantees that data continuity.
What is your vision for the future of the food value chain and the evolving role of technology?
The failure of global food value chains is in distributing the food to those who need it to have food security. We need to fix that nationally in the UK and globally.
I envision a future where the food value chain is transparent, resource-efficient, and resilient to disruptions, whether from climate change, trade barriers, or conflicts. Space technology will be integral to this transformation, ensuring that food is produced sustainably and equitably distributed. Achieving global food security requires us to address both physical and socio-economic access to nutritious food—an endeavour that space technology is uniquely positioned to support, particularly in establishing transparent supply chains compliant with regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation.