Annual irrigated cropland mapping reveals uneven expansion and rising water demand in Africa from 2000 to 2021

This dataset provides the first annual maps of irrigated cropland across Africa at 500 m resolution for 2000–2021. The maps were generated by integrating remote sensing, existing irrigation maps, and statistical data. Validation using 5,874 samples shows an overall accuracy of about 80%, with improved spatial and temporal consistency compared to existing products. The dataset reveals a 17.5% increase in irrigated area across Africa over the study period, with strong regional variability. These data support applications in water resource management and agricultural planning across the continent.

Dataset specifications

Spatial resolution: 0.00449° (~500 m)

Data format: GeoTIFF (EPSG: 4326)

Geographic extent: 25.36°W~63.50°E, 46.97°S~37.56°N (Africa)

Temporal coverage: 2000–2021

Data type: Binary raster, where 1 = irrigated areas and 0 = non-irrigated areas

Recommended citation:

Tolera, A.M., Zhang, C., You, N., Dong, J., 2026. Annual irrigated cropland mapping reveals uneven expansion and rising water demand in Africa from 2000 to 2021. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2026.04.057