NASA expects to work more closely with farmers and other members of the agriculture community through a new program called Acres.
Established in March, Acres is a consortium of partners working across the U.S. agricultural spectrum to develop observatorybased data and tools to help increase food production, while protecting or restoring soil, water and other natural resources, says Alyssa Whitcraft, founding director and a professor in the department of geographical sciences at the University of Maryland. University staff provide administration and oversight for Acres.
Three of the consortium partners’ broad objectives for Acres include: 1. Supporting a deeper understanding of U.S. agricultural land use, productivity and sustainability.
2. Developing on-farm decision support tools for smart agronomy.
3. Strengthening environmental and human resilience to climate change and global hazards.