The Agency of "Uzbekcosmos"

The Uzbekcosmos Agency, which has been providing support to the socio-economic sectors of our country through the State Space Monitoring System, in cooperation with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), launched the project “Effective Monitoring for the Formation of Agricultural Drought Indicators in Central Asia”.

This project, using remote sensing technologies, advanced geoinformation systems and artificial intelligence capabilities, will contribute to sustainable methods of food security, agricultural and land resource management in Uzbekistan, and will improve data collection, analysis and dissemination.
The trainings are attended by industry specialists, local, regional and international experts from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

As noted, agriculture is an important component of economic stability and food security in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These countries rely heavily on agricultural productivity. However, recent droughts, driven by climate change and water scarcity, have led to significant crop losses, rising food prices, and socio-economic hardship in rural areas that depend on agricultural productivity. Addressing these challenges requires the development of timely and effective drought monitoring and management systems to support informed agricultural decision-making and enhance sustainability. Earth observation (EO) and geospatial technologies have proven to be essential for monitoring agricultural conditions and assessing drought impacts over large areas in near real-time. The Regional Drought Mechanism, a key component of the ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) Regional Space Programme for Sustainable Development (RESAP), provides timely and free access to space-based data, products and customized services to support evidence-based decision-making on drought mitigation and preparedness, and early warning.

The project aims to assist Central Asian countries in utilizing the latest advances in space technology and geospatial information for drought management, and to facilitate timely access to space-based data, regional expertise and resources.

The project will develop a rapid drought monitoring system and a cloud-based crop monitoring system, drawing on regional expertise available through the ESCAP Regional Drought Mechanism and its regional servicing agents, namely China, India and the Russian Federation, as well as national partners.
The trainings served to deepen participants' understanding of drought monitoring using Earth observation in conjunction with other data sources, to strengthen ties between regional partners and promote capacity development efforts, and to effectively implement projects.
According to the results of the training, country-specific roadmaps containing practical steps for the use of Earth observation and geospatial technologies to strengthen drought and agricultural monitoring systems will be improved and adapted to national conditions.

Information Service of the Uzbekcosmos Agency.