Agriculture Information: PRISM Uses Modern Rice Information System

MANILA, Philippines Reliable information based on satellite data and ground observations can help the Philippines prepare for and mitigate the effect of recurring disasters, such as typhoons and El Nino, on rice areas in Mindanao.

The Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM) has been providing the Department of Agriculture (DA) with timely seasonal data on rice area and yield and assessment of crop health and damage in the event of a typhoon, flood, or drought since 2014. PRISM will present its achievements and activities to a wider audience in its first annual executive meeting on 31 March.

“PRISM uses remote sensing, crop modelling, cloud computing, and smart phone-based surveys for rice mapping and monitoring,” said Alice Laborte, who leads the PRISM project at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). PRISM, one of seven projects under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP), is a collaborative project among IRRI, Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the DA. The development and implementation of PRISM in the Philippines are funded under the DA's National Rice Program.

PRISM uses high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery acquired throughout the rice growing season. SAR imagery can be acquired day or night and even on cloudy days. This makes the technology perfect for monitoring rice growth and assessing damage to rice crops resulting from floods and typhoons.

Through field surveys the rice maps derived from satellite images are being validated where they enjoin and train local field technicians from the DA’s regional field offices, local government units, and, in some cases, farmers to gather the data. In improving damage and loss assessments to assist in providing appropriate interventions for rehabilitation and recovery and to improve pre-disaster preparedness, these pieces of information are very useful.

Source:http://irri.org/