First Large Extent and High Resolution Cropland and Crop Type Map of Argentina

Abstract

The availability of spatially explicit information about agricultural crops for large regions in Argentina is scarce. In particular, due to temporal dynamics of agricultural production (i.e., changes in planted crops from year to year) and spectral similarities among herbaceous crops it is difficult to generate crop type maps from remote sensing. Large regions with marked climatic variations, like the main agricultural areas of Argentina, represent an additional challenge. Here we generated a map based on supervised classifications using field samples along 14 agricultural zones. Best classification accuracies were obtained by combining seasonal indices (year, summer and winter), with indices that describe the temporal dynamics of vegetation. Accuracy was increased at regions with high and balanced number of samples and with longer growing seasons. The map allows to identify areas with clusters of one, two or three crops and to characterize areas with different spatial distribution between cropland and no cropland areas.