ThirdEye makes drone technology accessible for African farmers

In the Netherlands, drones already play an important role in agriculture: from the air they can monitor the growth of crops very precisely. Here high-quality sensors and relatively expensive drones are used. Thanks to these sensors and special software the needs of the crops (e.g. water, fertilizer or plant protection products) can be calculated. “A...

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New Horizon 2020 project TWIGA officially started

Last week the kick-off meeting took place of a new Horizon 2020 project TWIGA; Transforming Water, weather, and climate information through In situ observations for Geo-services in Africa. The project aims to provide actionable geo-information on weather, water, and climate in Africa through innovative combinations of new in situ sensors and satellite-based geo-data. With the...

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New IMPREX policy brief: EU’s vulnerability to climate change impacts outside its borders

Climate change is leading to increased water scarcity and drought in many parts of the world. This has implications for the European Union (EU) because a lot of the goods consumed or used in the EU are produced abroad. This makes its economy dependent on water resources from beyond its borders. As part of the...

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First ThirdEye flying sensor operators trained in Kenya

The ThirdEye project supports farmers in Kenya by setting up a network of flying sensors operators. These operators are equipped with flying sensors and tools to analyse the obtained imagery. In December ThirdEye staff conducted an intensive two weeks flying sensor training at Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) Kaguru, 15 km south of Meru, Kenya. The...

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Study conducted on water productivity mapping using flying sensors and crop modeling

Recently, FutureWater conducted a study for RVO to test the feasibility of mapping water productivity and yield gaps based on a combination of Flying Sensor imagery and crop water productivity modeling in order to provide plot-level recommendations to farmers. The objective of this pilot study was to achieve plot-level maps of water productivity and yield...

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Climate change will result in increased hydrological extremes in the upstream domains of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra

Hydrological extremes, such as the South Asian monsoon floods of last year, have a devastating impact on a society. Evidence suggests that hydrological extremes are increasing. To reduce the adverse impacts of hydrological extremes, adaptation strategies need to be developed, which requires knowledge on which drivers/processes are responsible for changes in hydrological extremes. For this...

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FutureWater started the HERMANA project with two missions to the Cauca Valley Corporation

Two missions in September and October 2017 were held in Calí, Colombia as the starting point of the HERMANA project. During these missions, the HERMANA team, composed by staff from Deltares, FutureWater, and the Dutch Water Authorities, shared Dutch and Colombian experiences in water monitoring, management and governance. Furthermore, they identified the main functional and...

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Higher crop water requirements due to climate change in Kazakhstan

The government of Kazakhstan with financial support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is planning to upgrade and rehabilitate its irrigation sector. A detailed Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) has been undertaken by a consortium led by FutureWater in 2017. The team collected all available data on the project and had undertaken a rigorous...

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Dutch climate experts join forces

Fourteen Dutch knowledge organisations have joined forces to provide government bodies and companies in the Netherlands and abroad with better policy advice on adapting to the enormous challenges posed by climate change. Today, they signed agreements to establish the Netherlands Consortium on Climate Change Adaptation (CCCA). The consortium will integrate knowledge and expertise from various...

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At least one-third of Asian glaciers will disappear

Even if the planet only warms up by 1.5 degrees Celsius – which is what the signatories to the Paris climate agreement are aiming for – one-third of all Asian glaciers will have melted by 2100, according to a study carried out by Utrecht University and FutureWater, which is published in Nature on 14 September....

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