In this section, we will provide an overview of the FAO WaPOR (Water Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data) portal and introduce the WAPlugin, a QGIS plugin that enables users to access and analyze WaPOR data directly within the QGIS environment.

WaPOR, FAO’s portal to monitor WAter Productivity through Open-access of Remotely sensed derived data, assists countries in monitoring water productivity, identifying water productivity gaps, proposing solutions to reduce these gaps and contributing to a sustainable increase of agricultural production. At the same time, it takes into account ecosystems and the equitable use of water resources, which should eventually lead to an overall reduction of water stress.

By providing near real time pixel information, WaPOR opens the door for service-providers to assist farmers in obtaining more reliable yields and improving their livelihoods. At the same time, irrigation authorities have access to information to modernize their irrigation schemes and government agencies are able to use this information to promote and increase the efficient use of their natural resources.