Satellite-derived humidity indices could help smallholder farmers in Panama reduce climate-related losses. The concept—Cosechas 4.0—was one of eight projects selected for support at InnovaInvest: Copernicus Edition, an event connecting researchers and entrepreneurs with investors to address environmental challenges in Latin America.
The first edition of InnovaInvest focused on leveraging data from Copernicus, the European Union’s flagship Earth Observation program, to support innovation in Latin America. While independently run, the InnovaInvest: Copernicus Edition aligned with the broader goals of BELLA II—a collaborative initiative by RedCLARA, the EU, and the pan-European research and education network GÉANT—to bridge the digital divide and strengthen the region’s digital ecosystem.
“This event served not only as a platform to showcase innovation processes within regional research groups but also as a means to create synergies among various stakeholders,” says Laura Castellana, Academical Project Coordinator for RedCLARA.
Also featured at the event was an Argentinian system for fire prevention using artificial intelligence to monitor climatic variables and predict fires, with plans for regional scalability through a mobile app.
Additionally, a project from the Humboldt Institute and WCS Colombia aimed to enhance the adaptability of the llama species vicuñas through climate and ecosystem data collection.
Assisting farmers and monitoring biodiversity
The eight most promising initiatives from the event – including the three mentioned above – will receive specialized training, technical support, access to advanced tools and funding platforms, as well as the opportunity to participate in bootcamps focused on project development and implementation.
Concept notes presented during the event included “Ventana Copernicus,” a geo-spatial data portal for public policy development and climate change resilience in rural communities (from Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Uruguay). The portal would bring together institutions from Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay to expand Copernicus training regionally.
Another initiative aims to support families producing cocoa and coffee in Guatemala’s cloud forests and Panama’s water recharge areas. The project proposes a data portal providing valuable information for producers, enhancing crop yields, and facilitating access to high-value markets and international certifications.
The Monitoring Dashboard is a joint initiative between El Salvador and Colombia focused on tracking climate change impacts on Latin America’s biodiversity, which holds 80% of global diversity. Using Copernicus satellite images, the project analyzes current conditions and generates alerts about threats like pests, illegal logging, and deforestation.
More similar events in the future
An additional project targets family farming in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, using Copernicus data to promote food security by transforming complex information into accessible visualizations for decision-making by farmers and institutions. The group received advice to define the project’s scope before developing the platform to ensure long-term sustainability.
The presentation concluded with a concept note on Remote Sensing Applications for Forest Ecosystem Conservation in Mexico’s Central-West, which aimed to provide Copernicus data for decision-making in response to citizen demand and scientific interest. This project also received technical support from the institutions involved.
Carlos González, RedCLARA’s Services Manager, emphasized the intent to organize future editions of the event.
“The Copernicus Ideathon and Hackathon initiated a process culminating in this first edition of Innovainvest. We plan to hold new editions to address Latin America and the Caribbean’s challenges. We are currently working on collaboration plans between organizations and the winning teams,” he affirmed.
The text is inspired by the article “Eight innovations receive support at the 2024 InnovaInvest Copernicus Edition” at the RedCLARA website.
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