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A Bayesian Ensemble Projection of Climate Change and Technological Impacts on Future Crop Yields

Dan Li, Vassili Kitsios, David Newth, Terence John O'Kane

arXiv 29 Jul 2025 · Statistics — Applications

arXiv:2507.21559 · PDF · Extracted main text

Abstract

This paper introduces a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework within a fully probabilistic setting for crop yield estimation, model selection, and uncertainty forecasting under multiple future greenhouse gas emission scenarios. By informing on regional agricultural impacts, this approach addresses broader risks to global food security. Extending an established multivariate econometric crop-yield model to incorporate country-specific error variances, the framework systematically relaxes restrictive homogeneity assumptions and enables transparent decomposition of predictive uncertainty into contributions from climate models, emission scenarios, and crop model parameters. In both in-sample and out-of-sample analyses focused on global wheat production, the results demonstrate significant improvements in calibration and probabilistic accuracy of yield projections. These advances provide policymakers and stakeholders with detailed, risk-sensitive information to support the development of more resilient and adaptive agricultural and climate strategies in response to escalating climate-related risks.

Citation extraction

35
references
52
in-text mentions
35
distinct cited
4
self-citations
9,394
main-text words

appendix boundary found by appendix_command · 79% of the source is main text. Read the extracted text to check this.

Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Li, D., Kitsios, V., Newth, D., and O’Kane, T. J (2025) Machine learning projection of climate and technology impacts on crops key to food security self1.00086100%
2Kitsios, V., O’Kane, T. J., and Newth, D (2023) A machine learning approach to rapidly project climate responses under a multitude of net-zero emission pathways self0.64422100%
3Müller, C., Franke, J., Jägermeyr, J., Ruane, A. C., Elliott, J., Mo… (2021) Exploring uncertainties in global crop yield projections in a large ensemble of crop models and CMIP5 and CMIP6 climate scenarios0.58531100%
4Bürkner, P.-C., Gabry, J., and Vehtari, A (2020) Approximate leave-future-out cross-validation for Bayesian time series models0.5113233%
5Vehtari, A., Gelman, A., and Gabry, J (2017) Practical Bayesian model evaluation using leave-one-out cross-validation and WAIC0.5112250%
6Asseng, S., Ewert, F., Rosenzweig, C., Jones, J. W., Hatfield, J. L.… (2013) Uncertainty in simulating wheat yields under climate change0.51121100%
7Wang, E., Martre, P., Zhao, Z., Ewert, F., Maiorano, A., Rötter, R.… (2017) The uncertainty of crop yield projections is reduced by improved temperature response functions0.51121100%
8Zhang, Y., Zhao, Y., Chen, S., Guo, J., and Wang, E (2015) Prediction of maize yield response to climate change with climate and crop model uncertainties0.51121100%
9Population Reference Bureau (2018) 2018 World Population Data Sheet0.40511100%
10United Nations (2022) World population prospects 2022: Summary of results0.40511100%

Showing the top 10 of 35 scored citations.