Asare-Ansah et al. (2026) Mapping agricultural dynamics in displacement-affected landscapes using satellite foundation model embeddings

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Environmental Research Letters
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-23
• Authors: Abena Boatemaa Asare-Ansah, Jamon Van Den Hoek, Adebowale Daniel Adebayo, XiaoPeng Song, Catherine Nakalembe
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aeabbc

Research Groups

• Makerere University Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Climatic Sciences
• Google's Earth Engine Team

Short Summary

This study presents a high-resolution assessment of cropland dynamics across refugee settlements in northern Uganda using satellite foundation model embeddings and machine learning, providing quantitative evidence for land-use planning and humanitarian interventions.

Objective

• Investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of cropland expansion and contraction in refugee-hosting regions of northern Uganda from 2017 to 2024

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Northern Uganda, with a focus on refugee settlements
• Temporal Scale: Annual cropland maps generated for the period 2017--2024

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Google's 10-m AlphaEarth Foundation embeddings with Random Forest classification
• Data sources: Satellite data (Google Earth Engine)

Main Results

• The study found pronounced interannual variability in cropland area, with a peak extent of 447,809±12,733 ha in 2022 and a marked decline to 223,159±9,744 ha by 2024.
• Cropland cover declined significantly with distance from settlement boundaries (β= −3.08, p < 0.001) and was positively associated with rainfall anomalies (β=3.37, p < 0.001).

Contributions

• This study provides the first high-resolution assessment of cropland dynamics in refugee-hosting regions of northern Uganda.
• The results provide quantitative evidence for land-use planning and humanitarian interventions in fragile, displacement-affected landscapes.

Funding

• This research was supported by the Google Earth Engine Research Award (2020) and the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (2022).

Citation

@article{AsareAnsah2026Mapping,
  author = {Asare-Ansah, Abena Boatemaa and Hoek, Jamon Van Den and Adebayo, Adebowale Daniel and Song, XiaoPeng and Nakalembe, Catherine},
  title = {Mapping agricultural dynamics in displacement-affected landscapes using satellite foundation model embeddings},
  journal = {Environmental Research Letters},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/aeabbc},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aeabbc}
}