INVASIVE PLANTS AND FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA: THE POTENTIAL OF EARTH OBSERVATION DATA

The document examines the detrimental impact of invasive plant species on Africa's rangelands and croplands, noting that they can reduce the productivity of major grain foods like maize by up to 45%. It highlights a gap in current policy frameworks, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and AU Commission strategies, which lack coherent protocols for managing these species. The author proposes using Earth Observation (EO) technology—specifically free datasets like Sentinel-2—to create spatial occurrence maps that identify priority zones and propagation corridors. The brief recommends that international bodies like the CBD, AfriGEOSS, and UN-SPIDER facilitate case studies and policy amendments to incorporate EO data into land management and food security strategies.

• Invasive plant species significantly impair African agriculture and livestock, with some instances showing a reduction in the productivity of major grain foods, such as maize, by as much as 45%.
• The spread of invasive species negatively impacts the livestock industry by reducing forage quality and yields, poisoning animals, and increasing production costs, while also depleting soil and water resources.
• Small-scale farmers and pastoralists are the most vulnerable to the land degradation caused by invasive species because they rely heavily on biodiversity-based goods and ecosystem services for their livelihoods.
• Earth Observation (EO) technology, including free datasets like Sentinel-2, is more effective than traditional ground-based mapping for monitoring vegetation shifts in large or inaccessible areas and identifying risk zones for pre-emptive containment.
• Current African policy environments suffer from a lack of technical capacity, inadequate funding for on-the-ground measures, and a deficiency in empirical evidence regarding the costs and benefits of invasive species spread.
• Existing high-level frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the AU Commission's Agenda 2063, do not specifically address the management of invasive species as a critical environmental or food security issue.

APA

Landmann, T. (2017). INVASIVE PLANTS AND FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA: THE POTENTIAL OF EARTH OBSERVATION DATA. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Policy-Briefing-160.pdf

Chicago

Landmann, Tobias. INVASIVE PLANTS AND FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA: THE POTENTIAL OF EARTH OBSERVATION DATA. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2017. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Policy-Briefing-160.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Landmann |first1=Tobias |title=INVASIVE PLANTS AND FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA: THE POTENTIAL OF EARTH OBSERVATION DATA |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=February 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Policy-Briefing-160.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{landmann2017invasive, author = {Landmann, Tobias}, title = {{INVASIVE PLANTS AND FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA: THE POTENTIAL OF EARTH OBSERVATION DATA}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Policy-Briefing-160.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }