Principles of climate/crop yield modeling and other agroclimatic assessment tools with operational procedures for agricultural Belize

Such models can potentially improve food supply management in conjunction with economic planning. A 4-week training program in applied agroclimatological analysis and crop condition assessment procedures for use in Belize was held at the Center for Environmental Assessment Services in Columbia, Missouri. This report of the program describes, documents, and analyzes agroclimatic conditions in Belize; defines agroclimatic crop indices (yield moisture, potential and actual evapotranspiration and their ratio, soil and crop moisture, the Z-index and the Palmer drought index) and their applications; and develops statistical weather/crop yield models, illustrating their pros and cons in crop condition assessments of Indiana corn and Belize sugarcane yields. The tools developed for potential application in assessments are discussed. More complete agroclimatic and agronomic data bases and more thorough data collection and computer processing are identified as prerequisites to fully meaningful climate/crop modeling.