Dr. Catherine Nakalembe is an associate research professor at the University of Maryland and the Africa Programme Director at NASA Harvest. Her research and impact in fighting food insecurity and supporting climate resilience in East Africa, earned her the inaugural Individual Excellence Award from the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in 2019. As world leaders gather in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference, Dr Nakalembe, who has been on the field, walks AMAKA through the potential for data technology to forecast and manage climate change crises and improve Africa's Agriculture outlook. 

Looking down from space, you cannot tell the difference between grass and cassava crops; the imagery shows only green. Dr Catherine Nakalembe’s award-winning work combining remote sensing and satellite imagery to monitor the impact of environmental change has been critical to enhancing farming success in East Africa. Pointing at visual data from satellite imagery during our Zoom call, she explains satellite photos are cross-examined with data gathered on the ground, and then used to build models that learn to distinguish crops. Her research improves the livelihoods of smallholder farmers as much as it enables governments to make urgent decisions to combat climate change and food insecurity. For example, the widespread crop failure in Karamoja, Uganda in 2015, prompted her to author a report for the previous Prime Minister of Uganda, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda; it resulted in a disaster risk financing programme which impacted 300,000 households. Driven by an extraordinary passion and courage evident in her research journey, Dr Nakalembe is keen on shared data as the building block to shared prosperity for all. “That's the thing: it's not mine. It's not for me, myself and I. Anybody in your institution who studies it can take it up and work with it,” she tells AMAKA.

AMAKA: You have mentioned in previous interviews that you entered the field of environmental science by chance, after missing the requirement for your preferred choice (sports science) at the undergraduate level. What has helped you to stay motivated and how did you find yourself in the remote sensing and data mapping field of agricultural research?

Dr Catherine Nakalembe: Growing up in Uganda, I always loved the outdoors and geography and in high school I took the only combination that allowed me to do geography and math. With the environmental science programme, I was able to go out to the forests, look at different species and do a lot of mapping exercises. From there, I knew I wanted to do a masters in geography and environmental engineering. That opened my lens to climate change, water resources management, and complex data systems. But I did not get the opportunity to work directly in Uganda during my masters, so for my PhD I looked at cultural land use, drought and food security in Karamoja, a region in the Northeast of Uganda I had not been to or knew much about. It is a very complex place that experiences drought year after year. That was when I entered this exciting world of combining remote sensing with satellite data. 

Did you always know you wanted to use satellite data technology?

No. I took a class in my undergrad that introduced me to Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing. At the time, I was on a government scholarship that covered accommodation but I decided to commute to school from home so I could save the money. A hundred dollars. This was in 2004 and I used the money to take an IT essentials class in the evening because for the GIS class you needed to be comfortable working with computers. 

For my final year, I wanted my research project to be about mapping because what I wanted to do was generate my own data and create a map with it. I went to Mt. Elgon and worked with rangers from the Uganda wildlife authority who were mapping encroachment. It was the first time I ever left my parents' house. I did not know anyone who was an environmentalist. I have a picture of myself where I was standing with the rangers and when I look at the photo I feel like some other-worldly being was driving me, like I was not in control. I was just so persistent. It rained a lot on the trip, but I got all my data and made my maps. I ended up getting a C which kept me from a first-class degree. I think I should have gotten an A-plus for the sheer fact of the endeavour and I would still do it again even if I knew beforehand that I would get a C. That fieldwork was a gift, it gave me the determination and momentum that still drives me today. My entire life, I have received awards because I continued at something that I had failed at in the beginning. And so, I think that if you find something that you are really passionate about, you should just keep doing it.

What has surprised you about the capacity of data technology to impact agriculture in Africa? 

It’s a negative surprise, and it’s the fact that all this technology exists and there’s very, very little investment for it in many African countries. A lot of the research projects are funded from institutions outside. I would really like to run into a cutting-edge institution that’s fully funded, and is a government institution in Africa. 

Inspiring change and solutions for the future

What do you think are some solutions that could change this problem in the near future?

 There are a lot of really smart and talented people on the continent. But to be compensated for their expertise, they usually have to go to the private sector. Data scientists, for example, are really expensive to hire and I do not see a government institution giving them what they can get from private institutions. So, one of the solutions could be creating work streams that these highly qualified people can go work in and be paid competitively. The salary does not have to be so high; a decent salary, with positive benefits, is also attractive. In line with that, more institutions such as highly equipped data centres that focus on environmental monitoring, climate change and adaptation modelling have to be created. A lot of international organisations are always interested in partnering with those types of institutions in Africa, but right now there are so few of them and the few are overwhelmed and under-equipped.

How has winning the 2020 Africa Food Prize award impacted your career? 

It has brought a lot of attention to the work and earned me so many valuable connections. Due to the increased visibility of the work, I have been able to get funding for projects that I wouldn't otherwise get funding for. My team has been able to support institutions to do the work rather than us seeking to replace them because of their lack of resources. My favourite impact is in the connections I have made with students and researchers in Africa and the support and opportunities I have been able to offer. I have been able to send learning materials and provide feedback for people working on research proposals or seeking to advance their research and academic careers.

"My favourite impact is in the connections I have made with students and researchers in Africa and the support and opportunities I have been able to offer."

It is inspiring how you have been able to influence policy with your research. How do you ensure that your research brings about effective policy? 


The key is making policymakers aware. Most of it is about communication: showing that it’s not magic and that it’s useful. What is fundamental is ensuring that the innovations and research are accessible to everybody. This opens the avenue for more people to explore and utilise the work. Recently, I wrote a paper on the ‘Urgent and Critical Need for sub-Saharan African countries to invest in agriculture monitoring systems’ and the hope is that somebody would read and be convinced of its importance. Right now, I’m developing a framework that combines all the knowledge I have gained so far, and could be used by countries that want to jumpstart their own monitoring processes. Through the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative, I have been working with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to create a guidance document for how to develop an early warning system for climate adaptation planning that is enabled by satellite data. So, it is not just making solutions-based research but also showing that I do not own it; it is not for me, myself and I. It is ours, anybody in your institution can use it.

With the urgency of the impact of climate change in our food ecosystems today, what innovations in agriculture technology currently excite you? 

I will say the applications of machine learning to many different aspects of agriculture. Machine learning is a double-edged sword; we have to be careful with that. But being able to analyse so many data sets that we couldn’t do before and get insights really quickly is very exciting. This will require investment in equipment that can take advantage of that technology. I think largely a lot of what is missing as these discoveries are being made is accessibility of the products and information to farmers. And so, I’m also excited by innovations in communication. That people have access to credit and mobile money and you don't have to walk up a zillion miles to go to a bank makes a big difference. Even tools like WhatsApp, that farmers are better able to share information about this crop or that passage, all of that can translate into real great solutions. The role of data in addressing very complex agriculture problems is exciting. But we have to invest in it!

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.