Central Tunisia
Leveraging Novel Ensemble Learning Techniques and Landsat Multispectral Data for Estimating Olive Yields in Tunisia
Kefi, Mohamed, Pham, Tien Dat, Nguyen, Thin, Tjoelker, Mark G., Devasirvatham, Viola, Kashiwagi, Kenichi
Olive production is an important tree crop in Mediterranean climates. However, olive yield varies significantly due to climate change. Accurately estimating yield using remote sensing and machine learning remains a complex challenge. In this study, we developed a streamlined pipeline for olive yield estimation in the Kairouan and Sousse governorates of Tunisia. We extracted features from multispectral reflectance bands, vegetation indices derived from Landsat-8 OLI and Landsat-9 OLI-2 satellite imagery, along with digital elevation model data. These spatial features were combined with ground-based field survey data to form a structured tabular dataset. We then developed an automated ensemble learning framework, implemented using AutoGluon to train and evaluate multiple machine learning models, select optimal combinations through stacking, and generate robust yield predictions using five-fold cross-validation. The results demonstrate strong predictive performance from both sensors, with Landsat-8 OLI achieving R2 = 0.8635 and RMSE = 1.17 tons per ha, and Landsat-9 OLI-2 achieving R2 = 0.8378 and RMSE = 1.32 tons per ha. This study highlights a scalable, cost-effective, and accurate method for olive yield estimation, with potential applicability across diverse agricultural regions globally.
- North America > United States (0.68)
- Africa > Middle East > Tunisia > Kairouan Governorate > Kairouan (0.27)
- Africa > Middle East > Tunisia > Sousse Governorate > Sousse (0.27)
- (11 more...)
Factors other than climate change are currently more important in predicting how well fruit farms are doing financially
Obster, Fabian, Bohle, Heidi, Pechan, Paul M.
Machine learning and statistical modeling methods were used to analyze the impact of climate change on financial wellbeing of fruit farmers in Tunisia and Chile. The analysis was based on face to face interviews with 801 farmers. Three research questions were investigated. First, whether climate change impacts had an effect on how well the farm was doing financially. Second, if climate change was not influential, what factors were important for predicting financial wellbeing of the farm. And third, ascertain whether observed effects on the financial wellbeing of the farm were a result of interactions between predictor variables. This is the first report directly comparing climate change with other factors potentially impacting financial wellbeing of farms. Certain climate change factors, namely increases in temperature and reductions in precipitation, can regionally impact self-perceived financial wellbeing of fruit farmers. Specifically, increases in temperature and reduction in precipitation can have a measurable negative impact on the financial wellbeing of farms in Chile. This effect is less pronounced in Tunisia. Climate impact differences were observed within Chile but not in Tunisia. However, climate change is only of minor importance for predicting farm financial wellbeing, especially for farms already doing financially well. Factors that are more important, mainly in Tunisia, included trust in information sources and prior farm ownership. Other important factors include farm size, water management systems used and diversity of fruit crops grown. Moreover, some of the important factors identified differed between farms doing and not doing well financially. Interactions between factors may improve or worsen farm financial wellbeing.
- South America > Chile (0.70)
- Europe > United Kingdom > England > Cambridgeshire > Cambridge (0.28)
- Europe > Germany > Bavaria > Upper Bavaria > Munich (0.04)
- (8 more...)
- Research Report > New Finding (1.00)
- Research Report > Experimental Study (1.00)
- Questionnaire & Opinion Survey (1.00)
- Information Technology > Data Science > Data Mining (1.00)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Machine Learning > Statistical Learning (0.68)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Machine Learning > Neural Networks (0.68)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Machine Learning > Performance Analysis > Accuracy (0.46)