Maize Yield Variability

A typical time-series of FAO crop yields consists of random variations about a slowly varying trend. The trend can be fit by a smooth curve, which is close to linear in many cases. The residual…

Global Agriculture’s Bull Run

The graph shows global average yields of some major agricultural crops from 1961 to 2007. The source of the data is the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations[1]. The remarkable improvements in…