As the global population grows to a projected 9.8 billion people in 2050, overall demand for food is on course to increase by more than 50%, stressing land and water resources. At the same time, hundreds of millions of people remain hungry. To solve these challenges, we need more sustainable food systems that produce more crops on less land.
A vital step in solving this challenge is understanding how crop production and yields are distributed around the world. Land & Carbon Lab has partnered with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a leading authority in agriculture and food systems research, to do this.
We’re excited to announce the launch of the latest version of IFPRI’s groundbreaking crop monitoring product, the Spatial Production Allocation Model (SPAM 2020).
Initially introduced in 2008, this innovative product has since undergone multiple updates. The latest version, developed with support from Land & Carbon Lab, features data from 2020 and represents a significant leap forward. It encompasses global maps of crop areas and yields for 46 crops and crop groups, mapped at a 10-kilometer resolution. This level of granularity is not just a statistical achievement; it’s a game-changer for policymakers, researchers and the agricultural community at large.
The result is globally consistent data that provides critical information for understanding drivers of deforestation and conversion of natural lands, crop-related emissions, water use and agricultural production worldwide to help achieve sustainable supply chains and food security.
Learn more at our webinar
Join our webinar on Monday, April 29, at 10am EDT | 2pm UTC to hear from experts from IFPRI, the Bezos Earth Fund, Land & Carbon Lab and our partners as we discuss the importance of transforming global food systems and the role that geospatial monitoring can play in this. We’ll provide a detailed overview of the latest updates to the SPAM data set and explain what the future of crop mapping looks like. You’ll also hear from experts from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and World Resources Institute as they explain how they’re using SPAM data to create impact.
Learn more about the product please visit: www.mapspam.info and New Data Shows Where, and How Much, Crops are Produced Around the World — Land & Carbon Lab (landcarbonlab.org)