Using AI and Satellite Data to Transform Agriculture: A Conversation with Alyssa Whitcraft
Climate RisingShow Notes
Dr. Alyssa Whitcraft is a professor at University of Maryland and a leading expert in agricultural remote sensing and climate adaptation. Dr. Whitcraft discusses her journey from co-founding NASA Harvest, a global program addressing food security with satellite data, to leading NASA Acres, which focuses on U.S. agriculture. She explains how AI and satellite technology are changing the agricultural sector, offering solutions ranging from crop yield prediction to regenerative farming practices. Alyssa also shares insights into Harvest SARA, a nonprofit she founded to foster collaboration between public and private sectors in advancing sustainable agriculture. Finally, she provides career advice for aspiring scientists and professionals interested in the intersection of AI, climate, and agriculture.
More from Climate Rising
Large corporations play a critical role in addressing climate change—but transforming complex global supply chains is no small task.
Permitting reform has become one of the most consequential—and controversial—topics in U.S. climate and energy policy. As electricity demand rises due to AI, data centers, electrification, and economic growth, many argue that the country’s permitting, transmission, and interconnection processes are too slow to support the clean energy transition.
How can companies make sustainability information useful to consumers at the moment they make a purchase?
Climate action requires more than technology, policy, and capital. It also requires communication.
Carbon labeling has become one of the most visible ways climate actions enter everyday consumer decisions.