Crop Yield Forecasting

TABLE 3.8
Crop calendars and release frequency of crop forecasts and estimates
3.3. Human, financial, and technical infrastructure
Crop forecasting is a vital element of Morocco’s agricultural economy. The various national
institutions that are active in this field have keenly demonstrated an interest in the production
of advance information. The Government is investing in the application of new technologies
such as remote sensing and GIS; this approach is all the more evident from an examination
of the many information systems and projects that are coordinated by the Ministry of
Agriculture, one of which is CGMS-MAROC (see Figure 3.9 below). The technical level of the
CGMS-MAROC’s various partners is excellent: for example, the DMN is considered to be
one of the two most efficient National Meteorological Services (NMSs) in Africa 45 . The other
two main partners, the INRA and the DSS, are both under the Ministry of Agriculture and
their infrastructure is well-established. All three institutions have very sound institutional,
human and technological infrastructures.
45
The other one being the South African Weather Service: http://www.weathersa.co.za/
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Crop Yield Forecasting: Methodological and Institutional Aspects