A Data-Intensive Approach to Address Food Sustainability: Integrating Optic and Microwave Satellite Imagery for Developing Long-Term Global Cropping Intensity and Sowing Month from 2001 to 2015

Anjar Dimara Sakti and Wataru Takeuchi
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Anjar Dimara Sakti: Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Science Research Group, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Wataru Takeuchi: Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-27

Abstract: It is necessary to develop a sustainable food production system to ensure future food security around the globe. Cropping intensity and sowing month are two essential parameters for analyzing the food–water–climate tradeoff as food sustainability indicators. This study presents a global-scale analysis of cropping intensity and sowing month from 2000 to 2015, divided into three groups of years. The study methodology integrates the satellite-derived normalized vegetation index (NDVI) of 16-day composite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and daily land-surface-water coverage (LSWC) data obtained from The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E/2) in 1-km aggregate pixel resolution. A fast Fourier transform was applied to normalize the MODIS NDVI time-series data. By using advanced methods with intensive optic and microwave time-series data, this study set out to anticipate potential dynamic changes in global cropland activity over 15 years representing the Millennium Development Goal period. These products are the first global datasets that provide information on crop activities in 15-year data derived from optic and microwave satellite data. The results show that in 2000–2005, the total global double-crop intensity was 7.1 million km 2 , which increased to 8.3 million km 2 in 2006–2010, and then to approximately 8.6 million km 2 in 2011–2015. In the same periods, global triple-crop agriculture showed a rapid positive growth from 0.73 to 1.12 and then 1.28 million km 2 , respectively. The results show that Asia dominated double- and triple-crop growth, while showcasing the expansion of single-cropping area in Africa. The finer spatial resolution, combined with a long-term global analysis, means that this methodology has the potential to be applied in several sustainability studies, from global- to local-level perspectives.

Keywords: global cropping intensity; long-term sowing month; MODIS NDVI; AMSR-E/2 LSWC; land surface phenology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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