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No Rice Crisis

The Economist magazine notes that rice yields are not improving very quickly and that the International Rice Research Institute says that it is the food commodity perhaps most vulnerable to climate change. It is also a major contributor to climate change due to its methane emissions and yet consumers will demand 30 percent more rice by 2050. First, it is difficult to say that climate change has slowed rice yields. Pakistan is the only major supplier with a drop in yield due to flooding last season. Rice varieties and cultivation are more tradition-bound, removing the potential for technological improvements.   India supplies over 40 percent of the world’s traded rice and its yield increases have been average a respectable 1...

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From WPI Consulting

Forecasting developments in production agriculture

On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.

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