Location-based climate/weather services prototypes supporting sustainable and climate-smart agricultural production

Global climate change is increasingly affecting Estonian agriculture and food security. Extreme weather events (droughts, frost damage, torrential rains, storms, floods, etc.) and new crop pests are increasingly affecting crop production and crop yields. This project will develop a prototype that will allow weather damage assessment from satellite data and will help to detect the main crop damage events (e.g. drought and frost damage). A framework will be developed to assess weather damage in horticulture and vegetable production. Maps of damaged fields in the last 7 years will be produced based on Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite data. An overview of the damage to fruit and vegetable crops is given. The second result will be a prototype that will allow the regionalization of the timeframe for field and horticultural work, depending on the weather conditions. The climatic conditions influencing the limitation of mineral fertilizer and manure application will be described in detail and a technical solution for an operational regional mapping of their occurrence will be developed. Prediction models for horticultural crop diseases and pests and their relationship with weather conditions are reviewed. A detailed analysis of novel technologies for crop protection sprays affecting spray drift and air dispersion and the relationship between meteorological conditions will be provided. Proposals will be made for updated standard values for crop protection operations. The project will increase awareness and skills in the public and agricultural sectors to benefit from smart solutions to better adapt to climate change. The tools can be used in the future by private and public institutions, such as farmers, as well as research centers, municipalities, PRIA, the Environmental Board, and the Environment Agency.