NASA and USDA sign agreement to put Earth science to work for American agriculture

NASA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding expanding cooperation in Earth observation, geospatial analytics and advanced data technologies, supporting USDA’s data modernisation plan for United States agriculture, NASA announced.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins signed the agreement on October 24 during NASA’s Inspiration Tour at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, NASA said.

“NASA develops some of the most advanced sensing, computing, and analytical capabilities in the world, and we should put those tools to work wherever they can deliver meaningful outcomes for the American people,” Isaacman said. “By combining NASA’s Earth observation data and technical expertise with USDA’s knowledge of American agriculture, we can improve the information available to farmers and ranchers, strengthen our understanding of crop conditions and natural hazards, and pursue new high-risk, high-reward ideas that advance both science and American competitiveness.”

Rollins said: “American farmers are the best in the world and deserve any solution we can leverage, even when it is out of this world,” adding that the partnership would enhance USDA acreage and yield estimation and drive profitability for American agriculture.

Under the agreement, the agencies can explore activities in agricultural statistics, remote sensing science, modelling, geospatial data engineering and super intelligence. They will also look at how to better align Earth observation data and analytical tools with agricultural needs, helping improve crop monitoring, acreage and yield estimates, and assessments of drought and other disasters.

NASA and USDA have a longstanding partnership on collaborative research and data sharing for US agriculture; the new agreement deepens that cooperation with a focus on improved data integration and coordination across Earth observation and agricultural applications, and on giving farmers, ranchers and policymakers more timely and reliable information.

Sources

• NASA: “NASA, USDA Sign Agreement Advancing Earth Science, Agriculture” — https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-usda-sign-agreement-advancing-earth-science-agriculture/