Earth Observation-based drought assessment of Odisha, India, using Google Earth Engine

Agricultural droughts significantly impact food security, livelihoods, and economy, particularly in rainfed areas. Odisha is no exception, experiencing a multi-faceted impact on agricultural production, land degradation, employment, migration, and food security. 2015 was among the worst-affected drought years, impacting almost 28 out of 30 districts in the recent past. Earth observation data (EO) and Google Earth Engine (GEE) provide prospects for drought assessment. The present study utilized Sentinel 2 data (2015) for extracting the cropped area, CHIRPS data (1993-2023) for the rainfall analysis, and MODIS data for computing the Vegetation Condition Index (2000-2023). The initial results showed that Gajapati was the worst affected district. The analysis also highlighted the relationship between rainfall dynamics and vegetation health. Thus, the present study provides an EO-based agricultural drought assessment for informed decisionmaking to ensure agricultural sustainability.