FUTA Alumnus, 3 Others win European Space Agency African Research Fellowship

Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) Alumnus, 3 Others win European Space Agency African Research Fellowship, to derive soil moisture content over agricultural regions of Nigeria.

The European Space Agency  in Conjunction with the African Union Commission has picked 4 African Research Fellows  to carry out Earth Observation (EO) R&D activities relevant for the EO AFRICA Initiative. 

A FUTA Alumnus Odunayo David Adeniyi is the only Nigerian selected under the initiative with the three  others coming from Ghana , Ethiopia and Morocco. 

Adeniyi's  proposal on ,"Monitoring Soil Moisture Content over an Agriculture land area of Nigeria through Earth Observation" got the nod of the experts that reviewed the entries 

His " research aims to derive soil moisture content over agricultural regions of Nigeria (which cover approximately 70% of the land area) exploiting S1, S2, ESA-CCI, SMOS and SMAP in Machine Learning. Soil moisture information is critical for managing agricultural production and ensuring food security. The project will improve our understanding of the water cycle in Nigeria and provide insights into how changes in soil moisture content affect agricultural production. It will also contribute to the development of more accurate and reliable models of the water cycle, and provide valuable information to policymakers and agricultural managers by, enabling them to make informed decisions about water management and agricultural production in Nigeria."

According to the organisers ,"A total of 82 proposals were received, along with the candidates’ CVs, 2 recommendation letters and a copy of certificates showing their academic qualifications. 39 proposals were submitted selecting Food Security as main topic, 43 selecting Water Resources Management."

But, "Following an initial screening to verify correctness of the applications and eligibility, each candidate’s proposal was reviewed by different experts. A total of 10 experts reviewed the proposals, with 7 from ESA and 3 from the EO AFRICA R&D Facility."

Thereafter a final selection meeting was conducted by ESA and AUC on 16/05/2023, to review the top ranked proposals and finalise decisions on acceptance of the best 4"

"The African Research Fellowships is one of the initiatives launched by AUC and ESA to empower Africans to benefit from latest technologies and data for their R&D activities. In the framework of this mutual collaboration, strong linkages and cooperation is ongoing between the GMES Africa Program and the EO AFRICA R&D Facility."

Odunayo David Adeniyi had his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Akure, and proceeded for his Master’s degree on a scholarship to Hungary where he graduated from Agricultural Environmental Management Engineering department at the University of Debrecen. 

He is currently in the last year of his PhD programme at the University of Pavia, Italy.  His PhD research topic focuses on assessing digital soil mapping techniques in an agricultural lowland areas of Lombardy region in Italy. He is skilled in precision agriculture, digital soil mapping, machine learning, remote sensing and geospatial analysis.

The Vice Chancellor Professor Adenike Oladiji,  FAS has Congratulated Adeniyi on the feat. " I felicitate Adeniyi on this wonderful feat and I am sure he will demonstrate the excellence that has become synonymous with FUTA products during the fellowship. He is a worthy Alumnus of our University. We celebrate and wish him more wins in his career and other endeavors," Professor Oladiji said in the congratulatory message.

MySchoolNews reporting.