In the heart of the Himalayas, a groundbreaking tool is revolutionizing how Bhutan monitors its agricultural lands, offering a blueprint for other mountainous and data-scarce regions. The Farm Action Toolkit (FAcT), an AI-powered, Earth Observation (EO)-based framework, is providing Bhutan with its first national, field-scale cropland and paddy dataset, boasting an impressive accuracy of 87–92%. This innovation, detailed in a study published in ‘Discover Agriculture’, is not just about tracking land use; it’s about empowering farmers, informing policy, and ensuring food security.
FAcT, developed by a team led by Aparna R. Phalke of the SERVIR Science Coordination Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, offers a long-term monitoring solution from 2002 to 2024. It bridges the gap between EO data and farmer benefit access, a critical link that has often been missing in traditional monitoring systems. “FAcT’s co-development with national agencies ensured scientific rigor and institutional uptake,” Phalke explains, highlighting the toolkit’s practical applicability and acceptance.
The implications for the agriculture sector are substantial. Between 2002 and 2024, Bhutan experienced a 22.5% net increase in cropland, with significant fluctuations in different regions. Notably, 66% of the cropland lost reverted to forest post-2018, aligning with Bhutan’s 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP) conservation goals. This data is invaluable for policymakers, enabling them to track progress, allocate resources effectively, and implement policies such as subsidies and tax concessions.
FAcT’s impact extends beyond policy. In Paro District, approximately 30% of cultivated land verified using EO data was found to be active but missed policy benefits due to gaps in manual verification. This revelation underscores the toolkit’s potential to bridge inclusion barriers, ensuring that farmers receive the benefits they are entitled to. “This is about more than just monitoring land use; it’s about empowering farmers and ensuring they are not left behind,” Phalke emphasizes.
The commercial impacts are equally significant. By providing reliable, spatiotemporally explicit agricultural land-use data, FAcT enables better decision-making, resilience planning, and sustainable agriculture. It supports land-use decision-making, helping farmers and agribusinesses optimize their operations and plan for the future. Moreover, the open-source nature of the toolkit (available at https://zenodo.org/records/15621464) ensures that its benefits are accessible to all, fostering a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural sector.
Looking ahead, FAcT’s success in Bhutan could serve as a model for other regions facing similar challenges. Its ability to integrate EO data with policy implementation offers a powerful tool for tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero Hunger), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and 15 (Life on Land). As Phalke notes, “FAcT demonstrates how EO-based agricultural monitoring can inform policy interventions and impact tracking in mountainous regions.”
In an era where data is king, FAcT is proving to be a game-changer. By harnessing the power of AI and EO, it is not only transforming agricultural monitoring but also paving the way for a more sustainable and inclusive future. As the toolkit continues to evolve, its potential to shape the agriculture sector and beyond is immense, offering a beacon of hope for farmers and policymakers alike.