NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet, but hunger is on the rise in some parts of the world and almost 690 million people are going hungry, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Detailed geospatial mapping can be an enormous resource in addressing food shortages, improving harvests, and tackling malnutrition. Effective applications of GIS and remote sensing can help maximize agricultural yields through precision farming and the accurate targeting of irrigation and fertilization, as well as monitoring crop health.

Yet the benefits of geospatial data are often out of reach for millions of smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries, who play a pivotal role in strengthening the food systems that they and their communities depend on.

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, Devex will host an ecosystem event on the sidelines of the 76th annual United Nations General Assembly in partnership with Esri, looking at how geospatial data can be used to strengthen evidence-based decision-making to create more resilient food systems that leave no one behind.

The discussion will explore how geospatial solutions to food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate change can be sustainably scaled to reach the most vulnerable in our food systems.

The event will shine a spotlight on successful applications of geospatial data helping to advance progress on SDG 2 — Zero Hunger — and explore lessons learned and ways the global development community can further scale the use of geospatial technology and leverage the opportunity of the U.N. Food Systems Summit.

This event will include live captioning.

Time: 1 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. CET