Asian Development Bank

Use of Remote Sensing to Estimate Paddy Area and Production Asian Development Bank

This handbook explains how to use remote sensing technology to estimate rice crop area and production to support food security policymaking in Asia and the Pacific.

A substantial portion of the world's rice is produced and consumed in Asia and the Pacific. As much of the region's population depends on rice farming, timely and good quality agricultural estimates and forecasts are essential for effective policy formulation. Recent advances in remote sensing offer a viable alternative to traditional methods of compiling agricultural statistics.

This publication outlines methods and tools developed for generating statistics on paddy area and production using remote sensing and GIS techniques. It aims to help national statistical agencies pilot and adopt satellite-based techniques. The handbook complements a massive open online course on crop area estimation developed by ADB.