Africa is facing challenges in food security and the sustainable management of environmental resources, including water. Smallholder farming systems support approximately 70% of the livelihoods in Africa. Their success is therefore vital to Africa’s future growth and sustainable development. Climate change will increase evaporation, the frequency and magnitude of droughts, and water scarcity on the continent. Smallholder farming systems in Africa are almost exclusively rainfed and farmers lack coping mechanisms. As a result, water scarcity translates to frequent food shortages and chronic food insecurity. In 2010, for example, below average rainfall and heat waves led to massive crop failures and mass starvation (more than 350,000 people) across the Sahel. We need data and tools that inform researchers, practitioners, and community stakeholders in Africa, so that they can intervene to prevent the worst possible consequences of climate change. Earth observation image data and tools are increasingly used to improve food security and water resources management on the continent, because they can deliver consistent and frequent field level assessments at low cost. Unfortunately, such data and tools are severely underutilized in Africa, because capacity is low.