Ten thousand years ago, on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, agriculture was born. Since then, the relationship with the land has transformed the fate of communities, ending nomadism, fostering permanent settlements, and enabling the rise of organised economies and societies.
The Mediterranean has long been a cradle of agricultural innovation, from irrigation and crop rotation to mechanisation and modern science. Today, its agriculture embodies ten millennia of evolution, where tradition and technology intertwine to shape one of the world’s richest diets.
The 2026 edition of Love Planet Earth offers a journey over the Mediterranean’s agricultural lands through twelve images captured by the COSMO-SkyMed satellites, a Program of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Italian Ministry of Defence. The view from Space reveals beautiful territories that are becoming increasingly fragile. It tells stories of resilience and innovation, where communities, research and technology work toward sustainable and accessible food. Alongside satellite imagery, it showcases the most typical crops of the regions, blending beauty, flavors, and a deeper understanding of the Mediterranean.
We embark on this journey alongside Med-Or Italian Foundation, which promotes international dialogue and cooperation between Italy and the countries of the Enlarged Mediterranean. Through projects that involve institutions, companies, universities and research centres, Med-Or supports innovation, sustainability, energy, health and safety, with the common goal of strengthening the Mediterranean identity and building bridges for collaboration.
Love Planet Earth reflects the COSMO-SkyMed vital mission: to provide geospatial solutions to understand how the Earth is changing and to drive more effective action. Satellites make it possible to monitor crops and soils, optimise the management of water resources, analyse the effects of drought or extreme events and support sustainable farming practices. Earth Observation thus offers fundamental tools to combine the traditional knowledge of farmers with the most advanced solutions, contributing to productive and sustainable food systems. Finally, the Calendar reaffirms our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, the second Goal calls for innovation to sustainably increase agricultural production and highlights the links between resilient farming, smallholder empowerment, gender equality, poverty reduction, healthy lifestyles and concrete actions to mitigate climate change.