Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-184
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-184
24 May 2023
 | 24 May 2023
Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESSD.

WorldCereal: a dynamic open-source system for global-scale, seasonal, and reproducible crop and irrigation mapping

Kristof Van Tricht, Jeroen Degerickx, Sven Gilliams, Daniele Zanaga, Marjorie Battude, Alex Grosu, Joost Brombacher, Myroslava Lesiv, Juan Carlos Laso Bayas, Santosh Karanam, Steffen Fritz, Inbal Becker-Reshef, Belén Franch, Bertran Mollà-Bononad, Hendrik Boogaard, Arun Kumar Pratihast, and Zoltan Szantoi

Abstract. The challenge of global food security in the face of population growth, conflict and climate change requires a comprehensive understanding of cropped areas, irrigation practices and the distribution of major commodity crops like maize and wheat. However, such understanding should preferably be updated at seasonal intervals for each agricultural system rather than relying on a single annual assessment. Here we present the European Space Agency funded WorldCereal system, a global, seasonal, and reproducible crop and irrigation mapping system that addresses existing limitations in current global-scale crop and irrigation mapping. WorldCereal generates a range of global products, including temporary crop extent, seasonal maize and cereals maps, seasonal irrigation maps, seasonal active cropland maps, and confidence layers providing insights into expected product quality. The WorldCereal product suite for the year 2021 presented here serves as a global demonstration of the dynamic open-source WorldCereal system. The presented products are fully validated, e.g., global user's and producer's accuracies for the annual temporary crop product are 88.5 % and 92.1 %, respectively. The WorldCereal system provides a vital tool for policymakers, international organizations, and researchers to better understand global crop and irrigation patterns and inform decision-making related to food security and sustainable agriculture. Our findings highlight the need for continued community efforts such as additional reference data collection to support further development and push the boundaries for global agricultural mapping from space. The global products are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7875104 (Van Tricht et al., 2023).

Kristof Van Tricht et al.

Status: open (until 19 Jul 2023)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse

Kristof Van Tricht et al.

Data sets

ESA WorldCereal 10 m 2021 v100 Kristof Van Tricht, Jeroen Degerickx, Sven Gilliams, Daniele Zanaga, Mickaël Savinaud, Marjorie Battude, Romain Buguet de Chargère, Guillaume Dubreule, Alex Grosu, Joost Brombacher, Henk Pelgrum, Myroslava Lesiv, Juan Carlos Laso Bayas, Santosh Karanam, Steffen Fritz, Inbal Becker-Reshef, Belén Franch, Bertran Mollà Bononad, Juanma Cintas, Hendrik Boogaard, Arun Kumar Pratihast, Lubos Kucera, and Zoltan Szantoi https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7875104

Model code and software

WorldCereal/worldcereal-classification: WorldCereal classification module v1.1.1 Kristof Van Tricht and Jeroen Degerickx https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7863779

Kristof Van Tricht et al.

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Short summary
WorldCereal is a global mapping system that addresses food security challenges. It provides seasonal updates on crop areas and irrigation practices, enabling informed decision-making for sustainable agriculture. Our validated global products offer accurate insights into temporary crop extent, seasonal crop type maps, and seasonal irrigation patterns. WorldCereal is an open-source tool that utilizes space-based technologies, revolutionizing global agricultural mapping.