Esther-Margaret-Mwangi/Epochs

Crop Yield Prediction for Food Security in Africa # Crop Yield Prediction for Food Security in Africa. ## 1. Business Understanding ### 1.1 Project Overview Agriculture plays an important role in providing food and supporting the economy in many African countries. However, many farmers find it difficult to estimate how much crop they will harvest before planting, and this can in turn lead to poor planning, low productivity, and financial losses. The aim of this project is to build a machine learning system that predicts crop yield using soil information such as pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, soil moisture, and field size. This will help farmers make better farming decisions and improve food security. ### 1.2 Stakeholders. ##### The key statekeholders for this project are: - Farmers and Farmer groups. - Government Institutions. - NGOs and development partners. - Farm inputs providers and suppliers. - Market Actors. - Research Institutions and Academia. - Food Security and Warning bodies. - Financial Institutions & insurers. - Consumers. ### 1.3 Success Metrics - Highest R2 score. - Lowest Mean Absolute Error (MAE). --- ## 2. Business Problem Globally, 2.33 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023 Africa has the world's highest undernourishment rate, affecting about 20% of its population Agricultural productivity remains low due to climate change, limited technology adoption and inadequate farming information In Kenya, about 98% of crop production depends on rainfall, making farming highly vulnerable to climate variability Food insecurity remains a major challenge in many African countries. Farmers often make planting decisions without knowing how much they are likely to harvest. This can lead to poor planning, inefficient use of fertilizers and other resources, and lower crop production. As a result, farmers may experience financial losses, while governments and agricultural organizations find it difficult to plan for future food needs. Thus creating a need for a a reli …