SaveCrops4EU

Background

SaveCrops4EU, a project under the European Space Agency's (ESA) Digital Twin Earth programme, aims to improve agricultural decision-making by developing a digital twin of crops. By combining Earth observation and agronomic modelling, it seeks to support more sustainable farming practices, in line with the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the European Green Deal.

Objectives

SaveCrops4EU has three complementary objectives: crop monitoring, yield forecasting and scenario analysis. In particular, it aims to characterise crop conditions at field scale using Earth observation (EO) data. By combining these observations with agronomic models, the project also seeks to improve regional yield forecasts, both before and during the growing season, to better anticipate the effects of climate variability.

Planned activities

One of the central pillars of SaveCrops4EU focuses on developing specific stress indicators to quantify crop water and nitrogen status, thereby supporting informed decision-making. The project will also integrate physically based crop growth models with EO and in situ data through stochastic data assimilation methods. This approach also makes it possible to explore prospective ('what-if') scenarios, for example to analyse the effects of drought or high temperatures. Four use cases structure the work: nitrogen stress management, water stress management, yield estimation and applications related to CAP compliance checks. Engagement with end users and stakeholders helps tailor developments to operational needs and promote interoperability.

Drawing on its experience in this field, CRA-W is responsible for the crop nitrogen stress use case.

Results

SaveCrops4EU has enabled the development of a digital twin of European agriculture. Powered by satellite data, crop growth models and agronomic indicators, this decision-support tool is built around three pillars:

crop monitoring at field scale, based on regularly updated observations;
in-season yield forecasting, combining Earth observation and modelling;
scenario analysis, to assess how weather events or different management practices affect yields and environmental fluxes.

CRA-W leads the case study on crop nitrogen stress. It contributes to the development of indicators, including canopy nitrogen content (CNC) and the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI), designed to characterise crop nitrogen status and support fertilisation decisions. It also takes part in validating the models developed. An application, currently being finalised, allows users to visualise the project's results. Users can select their fields or regions of interest and the period to be analysed, then explore various indicators:

vegetation development, including leaf area index (LAI), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), fractional vegetation cover (Fcover), fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) and canopy water content (CWC);
water stress level;
nitrogen status, including canopy nitrogen content (CNC) and the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI).

End users were involved in developing the tool to ensure it meets their needs. CRA-W first conducted interviews to gather their expectations. The application was then presented to them, and their feedback helped improve its features and usability.