Landsat's Role in Agriculture and Food Security
Worldwide, millions of people are helped by Landsat-data-based decisions that impact food and water management. Food and farming organizations rely on the unbiased, accurate and timely information provided by Landsat satellites. The data enable people to analyze the health and vigor of crops as they mature over the growing season; the needs of specific fields for fertilizer, irrigation and rotation; planted acreage to forecast crop production and fight crop insurance fraud; how much water is used in irrigation; and the impacts of drought.
![Mike Taylor from the Landsat Communication and Public Engagement team shares information about Landsat Next.](https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/53730378458_99c71afddb_o-2000x1272.jpg)
Satellites to Seeds: NASA Ag Day on the Hill
The Landsat Communications and Public Engagement team supported the Satellites to Seeds event on the Hill in Washington, D.C.
![A night scene shows a bright orange patch near the coast burning the city of Lahaina. The rest of the land looks purple in this night image.](https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20240530_maui-fire-th.jpg)
Landsat Observations Key Resource for Many Federal Agencies
In the FY23 Aeronautics and Space Report released on May 23, 2024, a multitude of Federal agencies report work informed by Landsat data.
![A black cow stands in a green pasture eating grass.](https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/cow_Amy_Spielmaker_2022utah.jpg)
Meat of the Matter: Colorado River Over-Consumed
More water is taken from the Colorado River than it has to give. Better water use accounting made possible by Landsat provides needed guidance for difficult water use decisions.
![A thumbnail for a video titled Data in Harmony, NASA's Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 Project](https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NASA_HLS_Thumb-1.png)
Data in Harmony: NASA’s Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 Project
NASA’s Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) project is a groundbreaking initiative that combines data from Landsats 8 & 9 with the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2A & 2B satellites.
![](https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/satellite-openet-brazil.webp)
Expanding OpenET Across Amazon Basin
The research teams who help sustain the largest freshwater reserve in the world are developing a new tool to promote more resilient farming systems in Brazil. The goal is to help farmers better handle changes in the water cycle, deal with droughts, and adapt to a changing climate.
![False-color Landsat image of flooded rice fields along the Sacramento and Feather Rivers in California. Blue rectangles are seen amid bright green rectangles and the curving rivers.](https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cariceopenet_oli_2018360.jpg)
OpenET Study Helps Water Managers and Farmers Put Landsat to Work
As the world looks for sustainable solutions, a system tapping into Landsat data for water management has passed a critical test.