Citizen science towards heat and drought - cultivation of potatoes as a ‘side dish’!

'CurieuzeNeuzen in de Tuin' will monitor and map heat and drought in 5.000 private gardens and public green spaces.  However, experts and promotors of the project understand that agricultural fields are also very susceptible to extreme weather conditions! 

'CurieuzeNeuzen in de Tuin' will therefor also perform a side experiment dedicated to the impact of heat and drought on the cultivation of potatoes.

Maintain excellent potato quality & production level

Belgium is fortunate to have the ideal soil, growing conditions and climate for successful potato cultivation. Professional know-how throughout the entire chain, constant innovation and a detailed monitoring system ensure excellent potato quality.

But how can we make our agriculture more resistant against long episodes of drought, heat waves and intensive rains, as we witnessed in the past years? How can we cope with the weather related risks resulting in inferior quality and decreased  production? 

All of this will be studied in detail through a network of 500 sensors installed in various potato fields in Flanders and, of course, with remote sensing technology .

 

WatchITgrow coordinates & connects

As a dedicated partner of 'CurieuzeNeuzen in de Tuin', VITO Remote Sensing will coordinate this side experiment set up to investigate the impact of extreme weather on the cultivation of potatoes. The 500 smart sensors in various potato fields spread over Flanders will be installed with support of the WatchITgrow network and connected to the online platform. 

While the ground sensors provide in-situ data, our remote sensing imagery provides the spatial overview of the fields, revealing the health status of the crops. An ideal combination! The in-situ (sensor) data collected via the CurieuzeNeuzen initiative will be added to the WatchITgrow platform. They will be combined with remote sensing data and other in-situ data  from WatchITgrow using big data analytics and machine learning to learn more about the impact of drought and heat stress on potato cultivation. This will allow us to provide better advice in the future.

 

About 'CurieuzeNeuzen in de Tuin'

'CurieuzeNeuzen in de Tuin' is an initiative of the University of Antwerp and De Standaard, in close collaboration with Rabobank, Orange, VITO, VMM, Department of Economics, Science and Innovation, Department of Environment, Bio-Planet, DPD and Aquafin.

More information on the (Dutch) 'CurieuzeNeuzen in de Tuin' project website.

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