## 4 Earth Observation Products and Dissemination Platforms  
Earth observation value-added product dissemination is a fundamental task for every project to ensure that the developed products and services are optimally utilized [76]. Application-specific web-based product dissemination platforms operated by various organizations and multi-agency programs offer users the ability to search, view, analyze and download various informational products at various spatial resolutions. However, such platforms are still underutilized, mainly due to lack of awareness in the potential utility of the products to support planning, sustainable development and delivery of services [75]. Therefore, enhancing capacities in the utilization of EO-based informational products should, for example, enhance agricultural productivity in order to meet nutritional requirements of rapidly growing populations, ensure sustainable incomes for farming households, and promote sustainable agricultural practices (AU-Agenda 2063, Goals 5 and 7). For the agricultural sector, such capacities are required at different levels, including policy- and decision-makers, planners, land managers and farmers. A wide range of operational dissemination platforms are available (Figure 4), operated by various organizations such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Joint Research Center (JRC), the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as well as multi-agency programs such the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM), and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), among others, provide agricultural information at global, regional and national scales. For example, GEOGLAM builds on existing national to global agricultural monitoring programs and initiatives to provide EO-derived monthly crop, rangeland and pasture condition assessments and growth monitoring through its Crop Monitor for AMIS and Crop Monitor for Early Warning bulletins ([[https://cropmonitor.org/](https://cropmonitor.org/)]([https://cropmonitor.org/](https://cropmonitor.org/))) and Rangelands and Pasture Productivity (RAPP) Map ([[https://map.geo-rapp.org/](https://map.geo-rapp.org/)]([https://map.geo-rapp.org/](https://map.geo-rapp.org/))) systems. Similarly, China's global crop-monitoring system (Crop-Watch, [[http://www.cropwatch.com.cn/htm/en/index.shtml](http://www.cropwatch.com.cn/htm/en/index.shtml)]([http://www.cropwatch.com.cn/htm/en/index.shtml](http://www.cropwatch.com.cn/htm/en/index.shtml))) uses EO data to provide key crop production indicators such as crop area, yield and production statistics, crop condition, cropping intensity, as well as the status and severity of droughts [77]. Such information is critical for optimizing agricultural productivity, providing early warning on possible food shortages, preventing global market price volatility, and formulating effective policies [77; 78]. In addition, the information provided by these platforms has been identified (in African Space Strategy) as fundamental to supporting African food security policy frameworks such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP)([[https://www.nepad.org/caadp](https://www.nepad.org/caadp)]([https://www.nepad.org/caadp](https://www.nepad.org/caadp))). These platforms are mostly based on course resolution data such as AVHRR, MODIS, SPOT-VGT, etc., thus inheriting the coarse spatial resolution and other limitations of such datasets. As a result, coarse-resolution data are more suitable for addressing the information needs of national departments such as with respect to planted area, harvesting times and area, yield estimates and production gaps, and agricultural statistics. On the other hand, course resolution products cannot meet the needs of the insurance and banking sectors. Their requirements include information on agricultural risk and crop damage for damage verification purposes to determine premiums and trigger indemnity payouts and for supporting credit or financial support decisions.