Drought and famine are serious problems that countries with an agricultural based economy face. One bad crop or no crop can bring down the economy and leave many people hungry. With global warming showing its unfortunate consequences of extreme weather patterns on agricultural yield, more people are left hungry. Moreover, extreme weather patterns are not expected to stop anytime soon. That is why Nature Climate Change’s recently published study based on international research about predicting crop yields will be very helpful, especially for those who depend on a fruitful yield and seek to avoid major crop failure.

The study focused on devising a computer program that would successfully predict the crop yield. The study did this by examining 23 years of weather patterns and crop yields. Researchers then tested their program on four different kinds of crops: rice, wheat, maize, and soybean. The program was successful in predicting whether certain crops would fail about 3 months ahead of time, wheat and rice more accurately than the others. This will be a great help to farmers all over the world, as they will be able to  prepare for a crop failure. Precious resources won’t be wasted, and food can be collected and stored to anticipate the months of famine, and alternate work can be sought in order to ensure an income.

Studies like these can help not only the individual farmers but also national and global economies. According to the article, this will help observe worldwide food production. It will also help citizens and professionals alike see what crops/geographical areas are being most devastated by extreme weather patterns. Finally, understanding crop failure and adjusting work at an individual and national level based off the potential crop yield will help the economy stay stable during a difficult period.

– Aalekhya Malladi

Sources: All Africa, Nature Climate Change
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