Date: 17-19 September 2024
Location: Nairobi, Kenya (Virtual and In-person)
From 17-19 September 2024, the ADM-Kenya project held its solution integration/acceptance meeting, bringing together experts and stakeholders from national incubators to evaluate the integration of ADM-Kenya output based on Earth Observation (EO) data into their systems for agricultural drought monitoring.
Day 1: icipe (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology)
The meeting began with an introduction to ADM-Kenya and a detailed review of how project products, such as drought hazard, risk assessments, and cropping systems, are being incorporated into ICIPE’s operational workflows. Discussions focused on practical examples of integration and the potential for improving resilience to drought through enhanced cropping systems mapping. Potential applications in other areas were also explored, such as pest and disease mapping with the use of bio-geophysical variables, such as Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Evapotranspiration (ET) which are intermediate products of the project, alongside the creation of a web mirror to visualize the data—both for icipe‘s internal use and open access to other users.
Day 2: RCMRD (Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development)
The second day focused on aligning ADM-Kenya solutions with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), and participants reviewed RCMRD’s use of the algorithms. A group discussion highlighted opportunities to enhance data integration for drought monitoring, with a focus on long-term data availability to support decision-making, particularly in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. To support the easy use of the data, it will be operationally produced for new months/seasons and uploaded to the RCMRD Geoportal and the KALRO (Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization) Portal.
ICPAC (IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre) was also present during the discussions. Participants further discussed the potential use of the data for yield and irrigation potential estimation and transferring the methods to other areas in the region.
Day 3: Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development
The final day was dedicated to aligning ADM-Kenya’s outputs with policy support and operational adoption by the Ministry of Agriculture. Discussions explored how cropping systems and drought assessments could contribute directly to food security reports and decision-making processes. The usefulness of the data was highlighted, especially for monitoring and reporting purposes.
This meeting marks a significant milestone in the ADM-Kenya project as it transitions from development to operational integration, ensuring that these innovative EO-based solutions are effectively utilized for national drought monitoring efforts in Kenya.