Articles | Volume 17, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3777-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3777-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description paper
| 
07 Aug 2025
Data description paper |
| 07 Aug 2025
| 07 Aug 2025
An annual cropland extent dataset for Africa at 30 m spatial resolution from 2000 to 2022
Zihang Lou
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Dailiang Peng
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing 100094, China
Zhou Shi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Hongyan Wang
Land Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center, Ministry of Natural Resources of P. R. China, Beijing 100048, China
Ke Liu
Land Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center, Ministry of Natural Resources of P. R. China, Beijing 100048, China
Yaqiong Zhang
Satellite Application Center for Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100094, China
Xue Yan
Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Botany Department, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000, Nairobi, 00200, Kenya
Zhongxing Chen
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Su Ye
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Jinkang Hu
Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing 100094, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
Yulong Lv
Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing 100094, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
Hao Peng
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
Yizhou Zhang
Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing 100094, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
Bing Zhang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing 100094, China
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Short summary
This study creates the first detailed annual maps of Africa's cropland extent from 2000 to 2022 in 30 m resolution to support global efforts against hunger and sustainable farming. Our findings show Africa's cropland grew by 8.5 % over 2 decades, while 11.5 % of cropland was abandoned by 2018, revealing hidden challenges in agricultural sustainability. These yearly field-sized maps help governments track where farming grows or shrinks, plan food supplies, and protect vital cropland.
This study creates the first detailed annual maps of Africa's cropland extent from 2000 to 2022...
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