The Impact of Conflict-Driven Cropland Abandonment on Food Insecurity in South Sudan Revealed Using Satellite Remote Sensing
Publisher: Nature Food
Author(s): Victor Mackenhauer Olsen, Rasmus Fensholt, Pontus Olofsson, Rogerio Bonifacio, Van Butsic, Daniel Druce, Deepak Ray, and Alexander V. Prishchepov
Date: 2021
Topics: Data and Technologies, Renewable Resources
Countries: South Sudan
Armed conflicts often hinder food security through cropland abandonment and restrict the collection of on-the-ground information required for targeted relief distribution. Satellite remote sensing provides a means for gathering information about disruptions during armed conflicts and assessing the food security status in conflict zones. Using ~7,500 multisource satellite images, we implemented a data-driven approach that showed a reduction in cultivated croplands in war-ravaged South Sudan by 16% from 2016 to 2018. Propensity score matching revealed a statistical relationship between cropland abandonment and armed conflicts that contributed to drastic decreases in food supply. Our analysis shows that the abandoned croplands could have supported at least a quarter of the population in the southern states of South Sudan and demonstrates that remote sensing can play a crucial role in the assessment of cropland abandonment in food-insecure regions, thereby improving the basis for timely aid provision.