Earth Observations for Precision Farming in China (EO4PFiC)

Dear Colleagues,

Precision farming (PF) has been implemented in some form across nearly all agricultural production systems over the past 20 years. The degree of PF development varies from one place in the world to another due to the differences in technology, agronomy, economy and culture, and PF adoption has been greatest in developed agricultural countries. It has been recognised that the gap in PF adoption in China (and other developing countries) has been due to the transition of it moving from a research activity to a commercial context. There are many reasons for this, but it is in part due to a lack of capacity in the industry, a lack in the population to exploit technology, and a lack of IT infrastructure to support PF. Earth Observations (EO) from space and aircraft, combined with complementary terrestrial observations and with agronomic models, have been widely employed in PF applications in recent years. However, there is a lack of common EO operating modes for local or regional PF applications in China and a need for better integration of the different types of EO data that have recently become available or are projected to be available in the near future.

To better understand the opportunities and limitations to increasing PF adoption in China, this Special Issue invites contributions on: (i) innovative EO methods and applications on precision farming in China; (ii) optimization of EO operating modes for PF applications, especially in developing agricultural economies; and (iii) PF impact assessment. Submissions are encouraged to cover a broad range of topics which may include, but are not limited to, the following activities:

• EO algorithm development, automation, implementation, and validation
• Multi-sensor and multi-system EO data fusion
• EO for monitoring crop growth and stress
• EO for pests and diseases
• Multi-GNSS for precise location
• EO-assisted digital soil mapping
• Incorporation of EO into agronomic decision support systems
• Social-economical impact assessment

Prof. Guijun Yang
Prof. Zhenhong Li
Guest Editors

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