Andy Nelson

I am a Geographer specialising in spatial research on agricultural systems, food security and their relation to natural resource management. I use Earth observation data and other spatially explicit information to study issues related to food security. My research has focused on how spatial information can be combined with other sources of information to provide better, faster and more detailed data on the "where", "when", "how" and "how much" of agricultural production. I use remote sensing data and GIS models to characterise and monitor crop production situations to estimate crop area, seasonality, production and losses due to pests and diseases. Food security is not just about production. I work on accessibility models to determine the cost or travel time between producers, markets and consumers, since physical access is core component of food security assessments. I also work on environmental assessment tools. My research started in Latin America but I have worked extensively in Asia for the past 8 years, and continue to work in Sub Saharan Africa. I have also contributed to global mapping projects (population, transport networks, elevation and accessibility). My PhD is in Geography from the University of Leeds, UK and I consider Geography to be a licence to study anything anywhere. I have spent most of my career working for international, multi-disciplinary research institutes starting as a junior research fellow in 1996 at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia, then as a spatial analyst in the Development Economics Research Group at the World Bank in Washington DC, then as a scientific officer in the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Italy, and as head of the GIS lab at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. I have also held various consultancies with UNEP, FAO and the World Bank. I now lead the Spatial Agriculture and Food Security research theme in the Department of Natural Resources (ITC-NRS).