 |
|
The demand for converting natural resources into human-consumed goods, mainly in terms of agricultural yield, is high due to both population and affluence growth. Agricultural yield per arable acreage is not optimal despite research advances in crop production (the so-called Green Revolution). Due to insufficient access to decision support systems, the technological advancements necessary to reduce the yield gap have had limited adoption. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a histogram analysis of the yield distribution per acreage to identify contributing factors of high yield and explain the differences in apparent efficacy of planting for different crops. The scope of this research paper is limited to the cropland data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS). The USDA NASS provides county-level output per planted acre for several essential grain crops. In this paper, we will consider barley, corn, and alfalfa and evaluate the differences between these crops in terms of productivity from county to county and begin to assess the reasons for these differences. The analysis includes both quantitative (e.g., histogram entropy) and qualitative (e.g., case study) analysis. |
