Telespazio and e-GEOS present the 2022 Love Planet Earth calendar in collaboration with IYAFA 2022

17 December 2021 14:00

Oceans and seas, rivers and lakes, rice paddies and canals – the world's waters provide not only fish, but also other foods that help mankind face the complex and critical challenges of nutrition, public health, climate change, resilience, gender equity, social inclusion and sustainable growth across the globe.

These are the topics that will be addressed during the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) 2022 and that Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), and e-GEOS (ASI 20%, Telespazio 80%) have embraced with their LOVE PLANET EARTH calendar. Month after month, the calendar offers the possibility to take a trip around the world and observe, through photographs and satellite images, the work of artisanal fishermen, fisheries and fish workers. Such activities, while conducted on a small scale, can contribute to the well-being of Man, creating healthy food systems and helping to eradicate poverty through the responsible and sustainable use of fishing and aquaculture resources.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) and identified FAO as lead agency. Telespazio and e-GEOS support the initiative and have dedicated their 2022 LOVE PLANET EARTH calendar, now in its fourteenth edition, to these topics.

The scenic satellite images produced by e-GEOS were captured by the radar eyes of Italy’s first and second generation COSMO-SkyMed satellites and by the constellations of the world's leading Earth observation operators. These are extraordinary, unexplored views of our planet, from the Polynesian and Caribbean islands to Hawaii, the rice paddies of China, the aquaculture centres of Zambia and Tunisia, the world’s great rivers, such as the Mekong and the Amazon, the small ports of Mauritania and Yemen, and through to the Chilean coasts. A real journey around the globe to describe the daily challenge faced by peoples and cultures in an attempt to reconcile sustainability and growth through traditional and natural food production practices.

The themes of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture reflect FAO’s “four betters”: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all. Moreover, IYAFA 22 will contribute to the programme to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The Love Planet Earth calendar is part of a wider commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility on the part of Telespazio, e-GEOS and Leonardo. A commitment that involves, on the one hand, essential day-to-day activities that can have such a great impact, such as printing the calendar on recycled paper and promoting plastic-free campaigns, and, on the other hand, an awareness of the close bond that exists between the Space sector and environmental protection.