The more information that farmers and governments have about conditions on Earth, the better. Satellite imagery allows governments and decision makers to view and monitor crop conditions across large swaths of land. This information can help farmers prepare for and react to weather disasters — like droughts and floods — and, ultimately, improve production and profitability. Governments can also help predict an entire region's agricultural output, including anticipating crop shortages, critical information for mitigating the effects of food shortages and avoiding famine. 

Lutheran World Relief’s expertise allows agriculture extension agents collect real time information about land and crop conditions. The agents collect that data through dedicated apps on smart phones and tablets and send it to government ministries. This on-the-ground information-gathering helps create the key that local ministries, who receive training from the NASA Harvest team, who use it to make important decisions about crop management and share that information with local farmers.