Global Agricultural Outlook 2024: Mixed Prospects Amid Climate Extremes
March 07, 2024
In light of the most recent remote sensing, meteorological, and ground observation data covering the period from October 2023 to January 2024, the latest CropWatch Bulletin published in Feb. 29 reveals a nuanced landscape of crop production amidst climate extremes. According to the report, while the majority of major agricultural countries benefit from favorable agricultural conditions, record-high global temperatures have disrupted traditional temperature and precipitation patterns.
Regions such as the Amazon, Southern Africa, South America, the Western Mediterranean, and Afghanistan have faced severe droughts. Conversely, from Western Europe through Northern Central Asia to East Asia, precipitation levels have exceeded the average, creating conducive conditions for the spring green-up of summer crops and the upcoming autumn crop planting in April.
In terms of specific crops, maize production is expected to increase in both the northern and southern hemispheres, albeit with varying performances across nations. Rice production in Southeast Asia remains stable. However, wheat faces slight reductions due to adverse climate conditions such as severe droughts or excessive rainfall, while soybean output is forecasted to recover and significantly increase.
China's seven major agricultural regions have enjoyed favorable weather conditions, with abundant precipitation aiding crop growth post-green-up. However, there's a slight reduction in the planting area for summer crops.
The report underscores the intricate interplay between climate variability and agricultural productivity globally, emphasizing the need for adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on food security.
As the world grapples with shifting climatic patterns, stakeholders in the agricultural sector are urged to implement resilient measures to safeguard global food supplies.
CropWatch is among the global-leading crop monitoring systems. Initiated in 1998, the CropWatch research team led by Prof. WU Bingfang from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has been devoted to assessing national and global crop production and related information using remote sensing and ground-based indicators.
In 2013, CropWatch was upgraded to CropWatch Cloud on the basis of the Alibaba Cloud. The web-based CropWatch platform provides real-time and near real-time information services by releasing quarterly CropWatch Bulletins and online service portals, including information on agro-climatic situations, natural disasters, crop conditions, crop yield and production at global, regional, national and sub-national levels to meet the demands of agricultural information from decision makers, market participants and farmers.
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Global Agricultural Outlook 2024: Mixed Prospects Amid Climate Extremes