GIC’s ongoing regional collaborations were recognized during the online launch of FAO’s Global Agro-ecological Zones (GAEZ) platform version 4 on June 17, 2021.

The webinar demonstrated the functionality of the GAEZ platform regarding applications for sustainable development. In addition to presentations detailing model documentation and the user manual, the webinar featured user cases including two ongoing GIC collaborations: 1) PyAEZ – a local level application of the GAEZ platform written in Python scripting language; 2) LRMIS – an online visualization and report creation platform for Afghanistan’s national AEZ data.

The webinar featured opening remarks from notable individuals involved with AEZ including Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO; Albert van Jaarsveld, Director General, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); and Jack Dangermond, President, Environmental System Research Institute (ESRI).

Agro-ecological zonation uses established land evaluation principles find land most suitable for agriculture. Environmental inputs and climate conditions are used to understand the most suitable crop types based on productivity and resilience to changing climate scenarios. Although FAO just launched GAEZ version 4 platform, version 5 is also currently underway with contributions from various international collaborators including GIC.

Click here to access the GAEZ version 4 promotional launch video.