热博体育

Issues

With the rapid development of cotton, cashew, agricultural mechanisation and agro-pastoralism, production systems in central and northern Benin are rapidly evolving. This transformation of production systems and associated sectors is causing critical changes in ecosystems and the spatial structure of rural landscapes. Beyond the impacts on natural ecosystems and biodiversity, the expansion of agricultural land is leading to significant changes in agricultural and pastoral practices: disappearance of fallow land, soil degradation, increasing use of inputs, restriction of grazing areas, and so on. Although these major issues have been identified in northern and central Benin, reliable information on the state of rural landscapes is still largely lacking or difficult to access.

Description

The OBSYDYA observatory is primarily based on data from satellite imagery and field surveys. One of the project's objectives in terms of research and innovation is to take advantage of the opportunities provided by current satellite imagery (multi-sensor, very high spatial resolution, high-frequency imaging) to build reliable, easily accessible and low-cost indicators of change. The observatory will provide information on observable dynamics through a set of indicators in three areas: agriculture, pastoralism and the natural environment.

These indicators will be co-constructed with Beninese experts, key agricultural organisations and agents from the Territorial Agricultural Development Agencies (ATDAs). They will be calculated annually at different scales: village, municipality, observation site and department. Finally, all of the indicators will be made available to end-users through an interactive web-based dashboard used to disseminate information in the form of maps, graphs and tables.

Expected results

The main expected results of the project are:
- The co-construction  of innovative indicators. These fall into two categories: “operational” indicators and “exploratory” indicators;
- Training and capacity building for researchers and teachers in Benin on new satellite image processing methods: three supervised PhD theses and five master's theses, on-site training courses;
- The creation of a dedicated IT platform for the  calculation, storage and dissemination of indicators of change. This platform, located within the Ministry of Agriculture, will be used:
•    to manage data series and spatial layers (raster or vector)
•    to combine and transform these elements into indicators
•    to disseminate the indicators at several scales through a web dashboard