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The Effect of Weather on Agricultural Output: A Look at Methodology
Author(s) -
Shaw Lawrence H.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1236485
Subject(s) - weather modification , agriculture , meteorology , environmental science , agricultural economics , climatology , natural resource economics , agricultural engineering , economics , geography , engineering , geology , archaeology
This article discusses methodological problems involved in attempting to measure the impact of weather on crop yields. The weather index approach is advanced as a more appropriate analytical technique than multiple regression analysis. Attempts to analyze the role of improvements in technology have been greatly hampered by the year‐to‐year fluctuations in yields due to weather. Several techniques have been used to assess the impact of weather on agricultural output. The multiple regression approach, most suited to studies at the micro‐level of crop yield‐weather relationships, has been used on an aggregate level as well. The difficulties involved in specifying appropriate variables and functional relationships as well as problems of aggregation limit its usefulness at this level.