Copernicus case studies on agriculture
Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space programme
DescriptionOverview of the initiative and its approach.
Copernicus is Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space programme. The platfrorm stores sustainability tools and case studies that use Earth Observation and in-situ data for agricultural purposes. These Earth Observation data are sourced from Copernicus, a platform spearheaded by the European Union’s Space Progamme, providing satellite, ground-based, airborne, and seaborne measurement systems. As of July 2025, there are nine available use cases and reports focusing on topics such as 1) precision farming, 2) sustainable farming, 3) coffee, biodiversity, and health, 4) biomass indicators, 5) drought monitoring, 6) crop monitoring, 7) crop and yield forecasting, 8) drought surveillance, and 9) soil water index.
TechnologyTechnology used by the initiative.
The technologies highlighted from the case studies span from 1) the use of satellite data in supporting participatory approach to agro-environmental monitoring, 2) a digital service platform that improves the capabilities of agriculture actors in achieving sustainability-focused activities, and 3) time series data on soil and water, and vegetation indices for biomass indicators, biodiversity, climate risks, crop stress, water excesses, drought and crop monitoring. All nine reports are available for download, summarizing the key results of each case study.
TargetUsers, groups, or communities targeted by the initiative.
The main users of the resource are academic and research institutions, particularly those who want to integrate Copernicus products into their projects. Civil society organizations and farm advisors who are interested in using the integration of satellite data into their farm operations and share among their network can also benefit from the resource.
Business modelHow the initiative delivers and sustains its value.
All the available nine reports on the Copernicus website are free to download. Meanwhile, the Copernicus satellite data products and the operations of the European Union’s Space agency are funded by the European Union.
ImpactThe observed or intended effects of the initiative.
The outputs from the case studies highlight several impacts such as the access to products that are complementary to in-situ observations, fusion of data that improves the temporal resolution of other satellite products, provide a platform that can serve as world-leading platform for the use and re-use of sustainable and competitive agriculture-centred Earth observation data, among others.
PartnersOrganizations and stakeholders involved in the initiative.
European Space Agency; European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites; European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast; Mercator Ocean International; Frontex; European Maritime Safety Agency; European Environment Agency; European Union Satellite Centre
Four BettersThe FAO Four Betters supported by the initiative.
Better production
Better environment
