Satellite Data Helps Remote Farmers Keep Their Crops Alive

Satellite data is now helping farmers in remote, difficult-to-reach areas in Zimbabwe adapt to the impacts of climate change – giving farmers fast and accurate weather predictions via SMS, to help keep their crops thriving.

Instead of extension officers driving to (and sometimes not reaching) farmers in deeply remote parts for essential information that affects food security, the Turning Matabeleland Green consortium has recently offered a more efficient solution: sending climate and crop information straight to farmers’ phones.

“I definitely believe technological interventions will have a great impact on food production and food security as a whole for our nation,” says Vangelis Haritatos, the Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement deputy minister, to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The organization sends out warnings in sudden climate changes to all affected farmers at once, even alerting them about pest invasions in their area. In days of drought, experts could additionally advise farmers on how to take care of their crops during the dry periods.