USDA and NASA sign MOU to bring Earth observation into crop statistics

The US Department of Agriculture and NASA signed a memorandum of understanding on 24 October 2026 at NASA's Inspiration Tour event at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman signed it, and it took effect immediately.

It covers cooperation on satellite observations, geospatial analytics and statistical methods for agricultural statistics. Possible areas include remote sensing science, modelling, geospatial data engineering and AI and machine learning. Planned work includes matching USDA statistical needs to NASA Earth science missions, improving access to NASA data archives, and jointly reviewing methods for crop condition, yield, planted and harvested area, and disaster impact estimates.

According to ExecutiveGov, the MOU runs for up to five years and commits no funds. It supports the USDA Data Modernization Plan launched in September 2026.

Why it matters: It shows a national statistics agency formally building satellite data and AI into official crop estimates, including validation against ground data. Agencies running crop monitoring and yield estimation elsewhere, including in Africa, can use it as a reference for operational Earth observation workflows.