Chapter 2 presents the same indicators—RAIN, TEMP, RADPAR, and BIOMSS—used in Chapter 1, and combines them with the agronomic indicators—cropped arable land fraction (CALF), maximum vegetation condition index (VCIx),  minimum vegetation health index (VHIn) and cropping intensity—to describe crop condition in six Major Production Zones (MPZ) across all continents. For more information about these zones and methodologies used, see the quick reference guide in Annex C as well as the CropWatch bulletin online resources at www.cropwatch.com.cn.

2.1 Overview

Tables 2.1 and 2.2 present an overview of the agroclimatic (table 2.1) and agronomic (table 2.2) indicators for each of six MPZs, comparing the indicators to their fifteen and five-year averages. 

Table 2.1. July-October 2016 agroclimatic indicators by Major Production Zone, current value and departure from 15YA

Note: Departures are expressed in relative terms (percentage) for all variables, except for temperature, for which absolute departure in degrees Celsius is given. Zero means no change from the average value; relative departures are calculated as (C-R)/R*100, with C=current value and R=reference value, which is the fifteen-year average (15YA) for the same period (July-October) for 2001-2015.

Table 2.2. July-October 2016 agronomic indicators by Major Production Zone, current season values and departure from 5YA

Note: Departures are expressed in relative terms (percentage) for all variables. Zero means no change from the average value; relative departures are calculated as (C-R)/R*100, with C=current value and R=reference value, which is the five-year (5YA) average for the same period (July-October) for 2011-2015.