Case Study: KfW improves food security monitoring in Niger with UP42 satellite imagery

Earth observation for food security in Africa

KfW, a German development bank, faced the challenge of monitoring and verifying the impact of a financed agricultural irrigation project along the Niger River, especially after catastrophic floods. Needing to assess damage and measure outcomes remotely, particularly during the pandemic, they required access to high-resolution satellite imagery and analytical tools. They turned to the UP42 platform to obtain this critical geospatial data.

Using UP42, KfW gained easy access to very high-resolution satellite imagery, such as Pléiades and SPOT, and utilized vegetation indexes like NDVI to monitor agricultural health and infrastructure. This allowed them to verify the project's success and confirm the irrigation perimeter was intact and productive post-flood. The solution had a significant measurable impact, increasing rice yields from 4 to 7 tons per hectare and tripling the rice fields for approximately 8,000 smallholder farmers, ultimately improving living conditions for nearly 80,000 people. UP42 also enabled KfW to set up a dedicated geodata desk for future projects.

KfW

Hajar Benelcadi

Senior Earth Observation Expert