干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

It is possible to assess crop yields at the end of the growing season in a semi-arid environment using data from meteorological satellites. This is the result of a work carried out in northern Burkina Faso. The technique used is based on linear correlation between millet yield and the time integral of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (iNDVI) derived from NOAA AVHRR data. In contrast to earlier related studies, the correlation has been established using satellite data extracted exclusively within the agricultural domain. The integration period for the iNDVI correponds to the reproductive phase only of the growing period of millet. Furthermore, iNDVI can also be used to estimate the acreage of the agricultural domain, by the application of a suitable threshold to classify areas into agricultural and non-agricultural domains.

It is therefore possible to assess the yield and the acreage of the agricultural domain and to derive an estimate of the millet production of the area by the end of the season, on the basis of NOAA AVHRR data alone.