In a study with funding contributions from the European Commission through the joint World Bank / EU project “ Supporting Transparent Land Governance in Ukraine ”, results from machine learning applied to crop classification and NDVI measurements across pre-determined parts of Ukraine combined with ground-truthed “training” data that pre-dates the war were utilised to estimate cropland extent for different crops before and during war time ( Kussul, Drozd, & Yailymova, 2023 ). The data was derived from a combination of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery and can give field-level as well as national scale insights into agricultural production. The following maps and graphs showcase some of the results.

Agribusiness experts  EarthDaily Agro , another innovator contributing to the EUSpace4Ukraine Initiative, has developed satellite products including Sentinel-2 derived NDVI estimates that track the impact of the flooding at high resolution at field-level. The following slider shows the change in NDVI after the flooding in Kherson occurred. Green colours indicate high values of NDVI and thus healthy vegetation whereas red colours indicate low values of NDVI linked to damaged or destroyed vegetation due to the flooding.

The analyses presented in this StoryMap, as part of the EUSpace4Ukraine initiative by EUSPA, has shown that Copernicus data can help to make detailed assessments with regards to the impacts of war on agriculture. Decreased extent of cropland for important crops, such as wheat and barley, after the beginning of intensified war in 2022 can be measured with Copernicus EO capabilities and spatial and temporal correlation suggests that war directly affects agricultural activities. Additionally, Copernicus can be useful to assess indirect effects of war on agriculture and other sectors, for example, through satellite insights on air quality, trade routes and infrastructure.

The  EU Agency for the Space Programme  is the agency in charge of implementing the EU Space Programme with the aim of providing reliable, safe and secure space-related services to users. EUSPA’s mission is to be the user-oriented operational Agency of the EU Space Programme, contributing to sustainable growth, security and safety of the European Union. 

Do you have comments about this StoryMap? Contact us at euspace4ukraine@euspa.europa.eu