Using Satellites to Prevent Famines

Catherine Nakalembe is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland and the head of the Africa program at NASA Harvest, which uses satellite images to track agriculture around the world. Catherine’s problem is this: How do you predict when a famine is coming – and how do you convince leaders to act in time?

In this episode, Catherine explains: 

• How satellite data can predict crop failure months in advance
• Why phots can convince decision-makers faster than maps or statistics
• Why imaging systems developed for US farmland often don’t work in Africa
• Why a half-page memo moves food trucks faster than a scientific paper

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