Quantifying Yield Gap of Rice Production in Various Regions of Karnataka

The food produce must increase substantially in pace with the population growth. But the food production is limited due to land availability, climatic conditions, water resources and many other biophysical factors. Quantifying the food production in every hectare is necessary to make counter measures to improve the yield growth. The yield gap is the variation between the average actual yield and the average expected yield. This study is done to quantify the yield gap in major regions of Karnataka with respect to rice production. The study involves the historical information of 27 districts of Karnataka for a range of 3-20 years. The yield gap is quantified and the result shows a tremendous increase in the yield gap in the last few years. The districts are clustered based on the productivity and the yield gap. The inferences will help to take necessary precautions to reduce the yield gap and thereby keep pace with the demand and the supply of essential food crop.