Two sets of visitors dropped by the IPO Wednesday afternoon to learn more about IRDR’s research programme. First a group of specialists from the UK and China that focus on agriculture and insects visited; they were followed immediately by a delegation from the Belgium government.

The IPO welcomed Dr. Elke Sleurs, Secretary of State for Science Policy. She was accompanied by her science advisor, Dr. Dirk Van Speybroeck, and Jacques Nijskens, who heads Belgium’s space agency (BELSPO) Space Research and Application Department. Dirk Fransaer, VITO Managing Director and Steven Krekels, Manager of VITO Remote Sensing department joined the delegation. VITO is Belgium’s largest research institution active in the fields of energy, environment and materials. They have been sharing remote sensing data with RADI (IRDR’s host) to support the global CropWatch program.

CropWatch monitors food security using remote sensing and satellite images. They publish a quarterly bulletin that provides a comprehensive overview of the global production of wheat, maize, soybean, and rice to guide decision making and boost food security.