What exactly did your PhD achieve?
I developed a refined and highly accurate mapping method - based on remote satellite sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies that can regularly and consistently show land use worldwide and linked to this the system can predict expected crop volumes.
As a trained arid agriculturalist, I was aware of the benefits that remote satellite sensing and Geographical Information System technologies can have for the agricultural sector, one of its biggest users. Meanwhile, as is well-documented, one billion people still go hungry worldwide; roughly the same amount as the number of people suffering from obesity. The situation inspired me to refine existing GIS technologies to map land use in various areas matched with up-to-date crop quantity estimates. I received funding from Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission to do so at the ITC.
Today, your developed GIS method has been heralded as a way to end world hunger. Your method estimates with 95 percent accuracy the yield for a particular harvest area.
Well, firstly, let me make it clear that to me the most important cause of world hunger is poverty. Nevertheless, there is a need for precise, accurate and up-to-date information on the world’s food crop production areas both in terms of area size and crop productivity. In this way, timely decisions regarding the import and export of food can be taken to reduce the risks of temporary food shortages, but also avoid sudden hikes in food prices. So, hopefully my mapping method can help.
Another cause for the great publicity surrounding your research output was discovering the Spanish region Andalusia did not grow as many sunflowers as formally reported to European Union which allowed growers to obtain agricultural subsidies.
Yes, definitely. I think it had such a great effect given the need in the European Union to find out whether the allocation of relatively costly agricultural subsidies to farmers in EU states is justified at all. And we developed a method that can be used by policy-makers to assess the accuracy of agricultural subsidy claims at low costs.
How did you enjoy your time in the Netherlands and what was it like being back in Pakistan?
The Dutch heartily welcomed me. I have traveled in about 12 countries and I rate the Netherlands as one of the best countries I have ever lived in. In my everyday life, I learned a lot and this four-and-half year period will always stay fresh in my memory throughout my life. But my Pakistani colleagues at PMAS-University in Rawalpindi also warmly welcomed my return and we have started to collaborate in many research projects. Yet, you may see me one day again at the ITC!
What exactly are your future plans?
I hope to continue to work with my former ITC supervisors Dr. Kees de Bie and Professor Smaling to further improve ‘their’ method of crop production estimation. To enable this, I submitted a large research funding proposal. Fortunately, the funding board just indicated they are interested in sponsoring me.
My other dream is to develop a Remote Sensing and GIS-based agricultural outlook of Pakistan. But other things may also pop up: I ask myself each day what new things I learned and how to improve.
Marloes van Amerom
Khan in action during his PhD defense at the ITC.
