The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThe graph shows the area of land globally that is equipped for irrigation from 1900 to 2018. The graph uses the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Aquastat data. In 2018, this area is estimated to be 3,674,000 sq km, which is over seven times the size of Spain, or roughly 37% of the size of the US.
Globally, more than 70% of the freshwater withdrawn from Earth’s surface or from underground is used to irrigate agricultural crops. Satellites reveal that extracting water doesn’t just affect the local environment – there are, in fact, knock-on consequences for many aspects of the Earth system.
Read full story: Satellites unveil the far-reaching impact of irrigation