Improving harvest and planting monitoring for smallholders with geospatial technology: the Reunion Island experience

Abstract : With the recent development of geospatial technologies, remote sensing data are more and more integrated in the information systems of crop industries. The satellite's ability to collect "snapshots" over large cropped areas at once makes it a unique tool to able it to acquire localized and objective data in real-time.In this paper, we present how this technology can provide reliable information for sugarcane planting and harvest monitoring by updating information on field/blocks boundaries and cane status using time series of satellite images. Through the experience conducted on Reunion Island (Indian Ocean) where the sugar industry has difficulty collecting updated localized information on smallholders fields, we show how SPOT satellite images can be interpreted and processed in order to produce thematic maps and statistics. These maps can then be integrated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) designed for decision makers. This on-the-shelf GIS permits one to visualize maps and edit monthly statistics of the management practices in each production area.