The most crucial technical challenge facing the Malaysian and Indonesian oil palm industry is that the actual yield in the form of Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB; unit in tonne per hectare (t ha⁻¹)) are well below of potential levels and have stagnated over last two decades. Closing this wide yield gap would have a positive impact on the revenue as it increases productivity per hectare and it eventually leads to less pressure on opening new land and mitigates environmental costs of production. With respect to the indispensable need for closing this gap for future prosperity of this industry and sustainable production of palm oil, this study assessed oil palm yield, considering the potential growth of oil palm dependent on the site qualities and actual yield. Firstly, we mapped oil palm plantations combining yearly Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) and ALOS-2 mosaics of L-band backscatter, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflectance (MOD13Q1), and the MODIS Vegetation Continuous Field canopy cover product (MOD44B); where 10.3 and 6.68 million ha (Mha) of oil palm plantations were mapped, respectively, in Indonesia and Malaysia in 2017. Secondly, the age after planting was estimated at detected plantations using time series of MODIS canopy cover with correlation coefficient (r) of 0.68 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 4.7 years. Thirdly, the biophysical suitability of detected plantations was evaluated considering the spatial-temporal variation of different biophysical criteria. Combining information from second and third steps, we estimated the potential yield at 250 m spatial resolution. The average potential yield in Malaysia ranges between 13.8 t ha⁻¹ and 19.3 t ha⁻¹ in 2017, where in Indonesia it ranges between 17.8 t ha⁻¹ and 21.7 t ha⁻¹ in the same year. The actual yield in next step, has been quantified by HH-HV attribute of ALOS PALSAR and ALOS-2 mosaics, where the average actual yield in Malaysia ranges between 14.48 t ha−1 and 20.63 t ha⁻¹ and in Indonesia it ranges between 8.49 t ha⁻¹ and15.40 t ha⁻¹ in 2017. Finally, comparing estimated potential and actual yields, we evaluated oil palm industries’ performances where distinct differences were found between two countries. In most of the Malaysian states quantified actual yields were above or at the level of estimated potential yields, whereas in all Indonesian provinces quantified actual yields were well below the potential level. Considering the favourability of environment, among all provinces/states, Sabah, and Sarawak states in Malaysia and Aceh and North Kalimantan provinces in Indonesia distinctly differ due to their poor performances from rest of provinces/states. The information on different yields provided in this study are indispensable needs for efficient and accountable policies as it enables governors to directly target specific objectives such as subsidies on fertilizers, productive cultivars, and new technologies for the plantations suffering from low yield. Also, this study provides benchmarks for each province/state for scopes of actual yield improvements for long-term planning.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines have been standardized and widely used to calculate methane (CH₄) emissions from paddy fields. The emission factor (EF) is a key parameter in these guidelines, and it is different for each location globally and regionally. However, limited studies have been conducted to measure locally specific EFs (EFlocal) through on-site assessments and modeling their spatial distribution effectively. This study aims to investigate the potential of multisensor satellite data to develop a spatial model of CH₄ emission estimation on rice paddy fields under different water management practices, i.e., continuous flooding (CF) and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) in Subang, West Java, Indonesia. The model employed the national EF (EFnational) and EFlocal using the IPCC guidelines. In this study, we employed the multisensor satellite data to derive the key parameters for estimating CH₄ emission, i.e., rice cultivation area, rice age, and EF. Optical high-resolution images were used to delineate the rice cultivation area, Sentinel-1 SAR imagery was used for identifying transplanting and harvesting dates for rice age estimation, and ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 was used to map the water regime for determining the scaling factor of the EF. The closed-chamber method has been used to measure the daily CH₄ flux rate on the local sites. The results revealed spatial variability in CH₄ emissions, ranging from 1–5 kg/crop/season to 20–30 kg/crop/season, depending on the water regime. Fields under CF exhibited higher CH₄ emissions than those under AWD, underscoring the critical role of water management in mitigating CH₄ emissions. This study demonstrates the feasibility of combining remote sensing data with the IPCC model to spatially estimate CH₄ emissions, providing a robust framework for sustainable rice cultivation and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies.

Water-level monitoring in rice paddies supports sustainable farming, responsible water management, and greenhouse gas emission mitigation. SAR-based remote sensing is an effective alternative for estimating water levels, especially in regions where optical observations are limited. This study evaluates ten ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 L-band SAR-derived polarimetric parameters for their contribution and effectiveness in water-level estimation across rice-growing phases using random forest regression in the Subang District, which is one of the largest rice-yield areas in West Java, Indonesia. Overall, L-band polarimetric information is clearly related to water-level dynamics throughout the rice-growing cycle, confirming its strong potential for quantitative water-level retrieval. The highest estimation accuracy was achieved by integrating all polarimetric parameter groups (MAE = 1.37 cm, RMSE = 1.79 cm, R² = 0.52, r = 0.73), indicating that no single group can adequately represent the complex scattering mechanisms governing water-level variability across an entire cropping season. Variable importance analysis shows a relatively uniform contribution (7.63–12.90%), suggesting synergies across parameters in water-level estimation. Phase-specific evaluation further reveals that Phase 2, corresponding to the vegetative-to-generative transition, is the optimal temporal window for L-band SAR-based water-level retrieval due to enhanced double-bounce scattering and reduced signal saturation. While Phase 2 data maximizes physical sensitivity and correlation, whole-phase modeling provides greater robustness and lower absolute errors, making it more suitable for L-band SAR-based operational water-level monitoring applications.

This chapter defines the Versatility of rural communities as their capacity to access their vital capital and cope with their vulnerabilities. It starts by explaining how and why the concept of Versatility relates to capital assets of rural communities on the one hand and to the Vitality and vulnerabilities on the other. It then defines Versatility as the capacity to mobilise resources and assets that rely on the vitality of rural communities and address their vulnerabilities. This, however, requires proper measurements and detection of the assets and resources. Remote sensing is one of the techniques to do this. Yet, while remote sensing primarily detects physical objects, such as natural resources, infrastructure and built-up areas, referred to as tangible versatility, resources also consist of institutional capacities, knowledge and experience, referred to as intangible versatility. Measuring, detecting and fostering intangible versatility primarily requires statistical data, direct observations and interactions, and remote-sensing proxies. Gradually, generative AI and collaborative intelligence are additional options to support this.