Agriculture: EO helps Belize make climate smart agriculture investments
Belize’s agriculture sector – a backbone of the national economy – is under mounting pressure from climate change, with prolonged droughts, shifting growing seasons and increasing deforestation.
- With support from ESA’s Global Development Assistance (GDA) thematic activity on Agriculture and the World Bank, Belize is integrating Earth Observation (EO) into national agriculture and finance strategies.
- EO tools now enable authorities to map banana, citrus and sugarcane plantations at 10m resolution and assess trends in land use, drought severity and forest loss over time.
- These insights are already shaping public policy and investment – from pinpointing areas suitable for irrigation upgrades to informing credit decisions for climate-resilient cattle farming.
Location
Belize
Institutions
Belize’s agriculture sector – a backbone of the national economy – is under mounting pressure from climate change, with prolonged droughts, shifting growing seasons and increasing deforestation.
- With support from ESA’s Global Development Assistance (GDA) thematic activity on Agriculture and the World Bank, Belize is integrating Earth Observation (EO) into national agriculture and finance strategies.
- EO tools now enable authorities to map banana, citrus and sugarcane plantations at 10m resolution and assess trends in land use, drought severity and forest loss over time.
- These insights are already shaping public policy and investment – from pinpointing areas suitable for irrigation upgrades to informing credit decisions for climate-resilient cattle farming.
Location
Belize
Institutions
Agriculture drives Belize’s economy, with bananas, citrus and sugarcane contributing 4.6% of GDP. Yet, climate change and shifting rainfall patterns are putting this vital sector at risk.
With support from ESA’s GDA and the World Bank, Belize uses satellite data to guide smarter, climate-resilient investments.
This map shows average annual precipitation, highlighting drier northern and wetter southern regions — insights that help planners manage water resources and reduce climate risks.
Value added to GDP by agriculture in Belize from 1970 to 2023, in million U.S. dollars.
Location
Belize
Institutions
Agriculture drives Belize’s economy, with bananas, citrus and sugarcane contributing 4.6% of GDP. Yet, climate change and shifting rainfall patterns are putting this vital sector at risk.
With support from ESA’s GDA and the World Bank, Belize uses satellite data to guide smarter, climate-resilient investments.
This map shows average annual precipitation, highlighting drier northern and wetter southern regions — insights that help planners manage water resources and reduce climate risks.
Value added to GDP by agriculture in Belize from 1970 to 2023, in million U.S. dollars.
Location
Belize
Institutions
Using a combination of Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 optical imagery, a crop type classification tool has been developed to map sugarcane, citrus and banana plantations across Belize at 10 m resolution.
This map highlights the country’s main cultivation areas, with each colour representing a different crop or land cover type.
By analysing multi-year composites (2020–2022), the tool distinguishes perennial crops from seasonal vegetation, helping authorities track deforestation, monitor land-use change and plan sustainable agricultural expansion.
Location
Belize
Institutions
Using a combination of Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 optical imagery, a crop type classification tool has been developed to map sugarcane, citrus and banana plantations across Belize at 10 m resolution.
This map highlights the country’s main cultivation areas, with each colour representing a different crop or land cover type.
By analysing multi-year composites (2020–2022), the tool distinguishes perennial crops from seasonal vegetation, helping authorities track deforestation, monitor land-use change and plan sustainable agricultural expansion.
Location
Belize
Institutions
Belize’s government and financial institutions are already applying these EO insights to guide climate-smart investments.
This map shows rainfed, mixed and irrigated areas, helping planners target regions most in need of irrigation infrastructure.
The Development Finance Corporation uses EO-based deforestation tracking to invest in more resilient cattle ranching, while La Inmaculada Credit Union relies on drought monitoring to support sugarcane farmers.
Together, these tools enable data-driven, sustainable agriculture that strengthens both livelihoods and the environment.
The uptake of Earth Observation within Belize’s agriculture systems demonstrates how development projects can turn satellite data into practical, scalable tools for smarter investments.
Koen De Vos,
Remote Sensing Scientist at VITO
Location
Belize
Institutions
Belize’s government and financial institutions are already applying these EO insights to guide climate-smart investments.
This map shows rainfed, mixed and irrigated areas, helping planners target regions most in need of irrigation infrastructure.
The Development Finance Corporation uses EO-based deforestation tracking to invest in more resilient cattle ranching, while La Inmaculada Credit Union relies on drought monitoring to support sugarcane farmers.
Together, these tools enable data-driven, sustainable agriculture that strengthens both livelihoods and the environment.
Location
Belize
Institutions
EO impact key takeaways
- Targeted climate resilience: EO helps prioritise irrigation investments where drought impacts are most severe, optimising limited resources for maximum impact.
- Precision crop mapping: Multi-year satellite composites allow institutions to distinguish perennial cash crops from seasonal cultivation – supporting long-term planning and food security strategies.
- Finance innovation: National lenders like the Development Finance Corporation and La Inmaculada Credit Union are using EO data to guide loan schemes and risk assessments for sustainable agriculture.
Read more about this case study in an in depth story on our website.
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