CONTENTS List of figures iv List of tables vi Acknowledgments vii 1. General Introduction 1 1.1 Food security problems 2 1.2 Need for enhanced agricultural monitoring 6 1.3 Remote sensing data for acquiring agricultural land use information 10 Applications of remote sensing in agriculture 12 1.4 Problem statement 14 1.5 Objectives of the study 14 1.6 Outline of this thesis 15 2 Small Scale Land use mapping 19 Abstract 20 2.1 Introduction 21 2.2 Study area 23 2.3 Data used 24 2.4 Methods 26 2.4.1 Image classification.26 2.4.2 Linking hypertemporal RS images with existing land cover map 27 2.4.3 Linking hypertemporal RS images with crop statistical data by sub-district 27 2.4.4 Legend construction and matching with known crop calendars 30 2.5 Results 30 2.5.1 Image classification 30 2.5.2 Linking hypertemporal RS images with existing land cover map 33 2.5.3 Linking hypertemporal RS images with crop statistical data by sub-district 33 2.5.4 Legend construction and matching with known crop calendars 3 6 2.6 Discussion and conclusions 40 3 Disaggregating and Mapping Crop Statistics using Hypertemporal Remote Sensing 43 Abstract 44 3.Introduction 45 3.2 Materials and methods 48 3.2.1 Study area 48 3.2.2 Data'used 49 3.2.3Image classification technique 52 3.2.4 Validation of estimated crop maps 54 3.2.5 Direct mapping using primary field data 54 3.3 Results 55 3.3.1 Imaae classification 55 3.3.2 Crop area maps 56 3.3.3 Validation of the estimated crop maps 61 3.3.4 Direct mapping using primary field data 63 4 Integrating soil maps in a model to map crop areas using hypertemporal NDVI images and crop statistics Abstract 69 4.1 Introduction 71 4. 2 Materials and Methods 73 4.2.1 Study Area 73 4.2.2 Data used 74 4.2.3 Image classification 77 4.2.4 Resultant NDVI classes by agricultural area 78 4.2.5 Area of soil units at municipal level 78 4.2.7 Validation of rainfed wheat maps based on municipal area statistics using segments data (2001-2005) 80 4.2.8 Direct mapping using segments data 82 4.3 Results 83 4.3.1 Image Classification 83 4.3.2 Soil units 84 4.3.3 Rainfed wheat maps derived from municipal area statistics 84 4.3.4 Validation of the rainfed wheat maps derived from municipal area statistics 87 4.3.5 Direct mapping using segments data 89 4.4Discussion 92 4.5 Conclusions 94 5 Comparing a crop growth model driven by remotely sensed data with the European Crop Growth Monitoring System, agricultural statistics and primary field data 95 Abstract 96 5.1 Introduction 97 5.2 Material and Methods 99 5.2.1 Study Area 99 5.2.2 Crop Growth Monitoring System (CGMS) 101 5.2.3 The C/-Water model 103 5.2.4 Comparison of rainfed wheat production estimates from CGMS and Cf-Water 108 5.2.5 Accuracy assessment of the outputs of C/-Water at field level 110 5.3 Results 112 5.3.1 Comparison of CGMS output (after time trend analysis) and results of Cf-Water at NUTS-3 scale with agricultural statistical data112 5.3.2 Accuracy assessment of the results of the Cf-Water model with primary field data 113 5.4 Discussion and conclusions 114 6 Users' perspective on available land use data and the generated outputs;atop-down valorisation approach 117 Abstract 118 6.1 Introduction119 6.2 Methods121 6.2.1 Study sample and procedure 122 6.2.2 Available land use data sets 122 6.2.3 Provided land use information 124 6.2.4 Measures 125 6.2.5 Statistical analysis125 6.3 Results and discussion 125 6.3.Land use data available to the respondents 126 6.3.2 Opinion of the respondents about available land use data 126 6.3.2 Opinion of the respondents about the generated rainfed wheat map130 6.3.3 Opinion of the respondents about available yield data 131 6.3.4 Opinion of the respondents about the generated yield map of rainfed wheat 132 6.4 Conclusions 133 7 General Discussion 135 7.1 Introduction 136 7.2 Agricultural land use mapping 137 7.3 Comparing crop growth models using agricultural statistics and field data 141 7.4 Users perspective 143 7.5 Recommendations for future research 143 Bibliography 145 Appendix 1 165 Summary 177 Samenvatting 181 Biography 185 ITC Dissertation List 186