Remote Sensing Programmes – CAPE (1983) Crop Acreage and Production Estimation (CAPE) was funded and formally taken up in 1983 by which country/agency?

Introduction / Context:
CAPE stands for Crop Acreage and Production Estimation, an early large-scale agricultural remote sensing initiative aimed at statistically robust estimates of sown area and production. In India, it was conceived to support the Ministry of Agriculture using Indian Remote Sensing satellites and allied aerial/survey inputs.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Year of formal launch referenced: 1983.
• Programme focus: agricultural acreage and production estimation.
• Context: public-sector, national remote sensing capacity.

Concept / Approach:
Identify which country’s space/agriculture establishment initiated and funded CAPE in 1983. India’s space programme (ISRO/NRSA, now NRSC) partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture to operationalise satellite-aided crop statistics, making India the correct answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Relate CAPE to national remote sensing infrastructure.Note the 1983 timeframe aligns with India’s early operational experiments in acreage estimation.Conclude the programme was funded/undertaken by India with its ministries and remote sensing centres.

Verification / Alternative check:
Indian exam syllabi and standard remote sensing texts consistently list CAPE as an Indian initiative under ISRO/NRSA with the Ministry of Agriculture, dating to the early 1980s for pilot-to-operational phases.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• USA/EU/Russia/UK: all have remote sensing programmes, but CAPE (as termed in Indian syllabi) refers specifically to the Indian initiative.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing CAPE with similarly named international projects or later Indian programmes like FASAL; the question explicitly anchors the year 1983.

Final Answer:
India