Hydrosat Water Productivity.pdf

Water Productivity Case Study

Leveraging Satellite Technology for Global Food Security and Optimized Agricultural Water Use

Foreword by Wim Bastiaanssen

Water is the foundation of life and the driving force behind global agriculture. As the world faces increasing water scarcity, climate change, and land degradation, the challenge of producing enough food for a growing population has never been greater. The agricultural sector, responsible for 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, must find ways to use water more efficiently while ensuring food security, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability.

For decades, water productivity, which measures crop yield per unit of water, has been recognized as a critical metric for improving agricultural efficiency. While widely embraced by the scientific community, development agencies, and financial institutions, large-scale adoption has remained limited due to the lack of reliable, field-scale data.

Hydrosat is changing that. By harnessing satellite thermal imagery and advanced analytics, Hydrosat makes water productivity insights accessible actionable, and scalable. Governments, investors, and farmers can now accurately monitor and improve water productivity at multiple scales, from individual fields to entire regions. With insights on over 120 crop types, decision-makers can optimize irrigation, reduce vulnerability to droughts, and enhance climate resilience.

By bridging the gap between research and real-world application, Hydrosat empowers agricultural systems to produce more food with less water. In dry years, yields can be sustained without additional water, and in wet years, production can increase without increasing water use.

After more than 30 years of research and development, water productivity is finally within reach. Hydrosat delivers the missing piece, providing an operational solution that transforms how we understand and manage agricultural water use.

Prof. Dr. Wim Bastiaanssen is a leading expert in remote sensing and water resource management. He developed the groundbreaking Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL), which revolutionized the estimation of evapotranspiration and energy fluxes for global water management and agriculture.

As the Ambassador Professor at D Technology, Dr. Ba innovative remote sustainable agricu founded several WaterWatch, eLEA IrriWatch. Dr. Bastiaa in Agro-hydrology Groundwater M Wageningen Universi

or of IrriWatch and elft University of Stiaanssen champions sensing solutions for ture. He has also companies, including CropZoomer, and nssen earned his Ph.D. Soil Physics, and management from ty.

Running Dry: The Global Water Crisis

70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture, making water scarcity a critical challenge as climate change alters precipitation patterns, intensifies droughts, and reduces arable land, putting global food security at risk. A growing population further increases water demand, intensifying pressure on already limited resources, while competition among agriculture, industry, and urban areas for water access continues to rise, exacerbating the challenge of sustainable water management.
(Source: World Resources Institute, Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas)

THE CONSEQUENCES OF INACTION

3.9B
People Impacted
By 2030, it is projected that global water demand will exceed supply by 40% leaving almost half of the world's population facing severe water scarcity and food security risk.[Source: World Economic Forum, 2023]

50%
Declining Crop Yields
By 2050, crop yields in some regions could decline by up to 50% due to water scarcity, threatening food security for millions, without taking into consideration the need for high yields per unit area of land and water, due to agricultural land losses. [Source BBC,2022]

6%
Global Economic Loss
By 2050, the economic losses related to water risks were estimated to be up to 6% of global GDP. [Source: World Bank, 2016]

Despite the severity of the situation, progress in addressing the effects of water scarcity on agriculture production has not been able to keep up with the rapid changes and challenges the agricultural sector is facing. Over the past two decades, while awareness of the issue has grown, concrete actions to mitigate the crisis have been challenging to implement. We are now at a critical juncture where the window for implementing effective policy decisions to prevent irreversible change is rapidly closing.

ACCORDING TO THE UN PEOPLE SUSTAINABLY BY MORE THAN 50% INCREAS

FEEDING 10 BILLION 2050 WILL REQUIRE A IN FOOD PRODUCTION

THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE

Governments and agricultural stakeholders face a complex challenge: optimizing water use in agriculture while balancing the growing demands of urban populations, industry and environment. Supporting this growing challenge requires precise, data-driven insights into optimized crop-specific water needs, water consumption patterns, and soil moisture in the rootzone and crop yield - information that has been largely unavailable or unreliable until now.

To navigate these challenges, there is a clear need to quantify water usage across sectors, map water availability with unprecedented accuracy, and identify opportunities for increasing benefits and services per unit of water consumed. Quantifying this need is not enough; it needs to be translated into practical information for decision-making at farm level to have its full impact. This critical information helps governments mitigate the risks of climate change, ensures food security, and supports sustainable agricultural practices and natural capital accounting, all of which contribute to economic stability and societal resilience meeting ecological demand.

Hydrosat is at the forefront of this challenge, providing the vital data insights needed to transform irrigation management and secure a sustainable future for agriculture and beyond.

Water Productivity is a multidimensional metric that extends beyond simple yield measurements, encompassing the relationship between agricultural output and water resources. At its core, it measures how effectively water is converted into valuable agricultural products, whether evaluated through biophysical yield, economic returns, social impact, or nutritional value. While crop yield per unit of water remains a crucial indicator, and most applies to this case study, water productivity reflects a broader understanding of agricultural water use efficiency.

Growing Food With Less Water & Energy

In order to meet the global challenge, Hydrosat is leveraging satellite thermal imagery to alleviate challenges in agricultural water stress while maximizing economic opportunities for optimized crop yields, reduced water consumption and minimized carbon footprints.

BENEFITTING THE PLANET, PEOPLE AND BUSINESS

Crop yield improvement Increasing crop yields up to 50%, Hydrosat is supporting agribusinesses, farmers and growers to maximize their output, based on individual challenges and not a one size fits all approach, ensuring they meet their potential.

→

Water saving

Enabling water savings of up to 30% per hectare, Hydrosat identifies areas where applied and consumed water can be reduced due to over-irrigation or drainage problems. Saving irrigation water implies that more water can remain at their source and made available to other water use sectors and downstream water users.

→

Energy saving Inefficiency in energy reduces return on investment, Hydrosat's solutions identify opportunities to minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions by 30%, which is vital for growing businesses without access to reliable energy.

CO₂
CO₂
CO₂

How

it Works

A logical progression from identifying challenges regional to field level.

to implementing and optimizing solutions from

Pinpoint Hotspot Areas

The initial diagnosis identifies specific fields or areas where combinations of crop yield and water usage are suboptimal per unit of crop production.

Gap Analysis: Shifting the Curve

The system assesses the difference between current levels of water productivity and their optimal values given the local socio-agroecological context.

Root Cause Analysis

Using the framework, Hydrosat helps determine the underlying causes of low water productivity.

Access to Water

Salinity

4 Quantifying the Scenario & Gain

Harvest Index

By providing this comprehensive, data-driven approach, Hydrosat empowers farmers, agricultural organizations, and governments to make informed decisions about irrigation actions, improving crop yields and reducing costs in water, energy, and labor. We not only help address water scarcity challenges today, but also contribute to the long-term sustainability in agriculture and future of our planet.

The 5 Levers of Water Productivity

On-farm Irrigation Efficiency:

Soil Water Capacity Enhancement:

Non-beneficial Evaporation Reduction:

Water Reuse and Recycling:

Photosynthesis Enhancement:

Hydrosat in Action

Seeing customers grow measures the impact

TAMKEEN GROUP

CHALLENGE

In 2021, UNICEF stated that Egypt faced a critical water deficit of approximately seven billion cubic meters annually, threatening the country's agricultural sector and overall food security. Without innovative solutions, Egypt risked running out of water by 2025.

ACTION

OUTCOME

Egyptian farmers quickly adopted smarter agricultural practices, transforming their operations into more resilient and sustainable models. The data-driven approach allowed them to optimize crop selection, saving water and improving efficiency. By aligning irrigation schedules with soil moisture insights, they reduced water wastage by 40% and improved harvest timing, resulting in higher yields and better resource management.

Leveraging the cutting-edge IrriWatch Product, Hydrosat delivered tailored solutions to Egyptian farmers in Wadi Al Natrun, by providing precise daily irrigation scheduling advice. Farmers also gained access to insights on water requirements, crop production, and soil health, enabling them to optimize irrigation and crop management strategies.

SUPPORT

The project's success was amplified through the development of a practical farmers' toolkit, designed to empower users with geodata tools for climate-smart agriculture. To ensure sustainable adoption, a comprehensive training program was introduced, benefiting farmers, private companies, consultants, and NGOs. The initiative not only enhanced operational efficiency but also laid the groundwork for scalable, data-driven agricultural solutions in the region.

Partner with us

Speak with us today to discover how space will enable you to grow more food with less water.

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