We study key dimensions of agriculture livelihoods and development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where smallholder farmers are and will continue to be the primary producers of food. We are particularly interested in understanding the impact of the continent’s increasing rainfall variability on food security, the sustainability of Africa’s accelerating agricultural development, and how SSA’s agricultural systems interact with and impact societies’ efforts to meet their water and energy needs. To provide the data we need to address these issues, we develop novel approaches to observing agricultural systems at high spatial and temporal resolutions.