A company using satellites to monitor terrestrial changes believes its programme to support Ukraine’s agricultural sector would also be applicable across Southern Africa.
EarthDaily, a Vancouver-based analytics company, uses satellites to capture daily scientific-grade imagery. The data is then analysed for a wide range of industries, including mining and agriculture.
Through its French subsidiary, it has just been awarded a €480 000 (about R9.2 million) grant by the French government to deliver advanced agricultural intelligence to the Ukrainian ministry of agriculture, supporting crop monitoring and food security decision-making in near real time.
This will include in-season crop area estimates and yield forecasts at the regional level across key crops including winter wheat, sunflower, and maize. It also marks one of the first applied use cases for the EarthDaily satellite constellation.
This earth observation analysis would also be applicable in South Africa and its neighbouring countries, according to Andrew Pylypchuk, EarthDaily’s Global Director of Business Development for Agriculture.
“The EarthDaily Constellation is designed to image and monitor the entire earth’s landmass every day and specifically for consistent, large-area, daily observation, which is exactly what regions like Southern Africa require,” he told the FairPlay Bulletin.
“Agriculture in the region is highly variable with rainfall patterns, soil moisture, and crop performance that can change significantly across relatively short distances and periods of time,” he said.
With a daily revisit, a 5-meter resolution and broad spectral range, the EarthDaily constellation provides scientific-grade data that is far more precise than standard imagery. This allows EarthDaily to provide actual biophysical measurements of the environment, management practices, and crop health.
“Importantly, this goes beyond satellite data. EarthDaily’s advanced agricultural analytics and AI-driven insights help turn those observations into actionable intelligence. Early crop mapping, in-season monitoring, and yield estimation provide the foundation for governments and agricultural systems to move from reactive crisis management to informed, proactive decisions.
“This regional view is particularly important in Southern Africa, where food systems and climate impacts are deeply interconnected and do not stop at national borders.”
Food security challenges in the region were often driven by variability and uncertainty in production, weather, and distribution, Pylypchuk said.
“Identifying crop stress sooner and generating production estimates with greater confidence allows governments to respond to potential impacts before they become a crisis. This supports more effective planning around imports, exports, logistics, and targeted interventions.”
EarthDaily is building up to a “constellation” of 10 satellites. The first was launched last year and a further six will be in orbit by mid-2026.
