| dc.description.abstract | Climate change is expected to increase the global temperature and alter water cycles, resulting in changes in crop yields. This expectation has motivated substantial research, and many economists have studied the complex relationship between climate variables and major crop yield, such as that for corn, cotton, soybean, and wheat. However, few studies have examined the impact of climate change on more minor crops, such as barley, oats, peas, rye, sugar beets, and hay. Here we estimate climate change impacts on dryland crop yields for 17 crops using a panel fixed effects model estimated over a county-level weather and crop yields panel dataset. We use the Just Pope production function to estimate the heteroskedastic impact of climate change on crop yields. Our estimation results indicate that climate change affects dryland crop yield; with extreme heat decreasing the mean crop yield and increasing yield variability. Our results also indicate that some of the negative impacts of climate change will be offset by less exposure to freezing temperatures and the fertilization effect from elevated CO2. Moreover, technological change is also increasing the crop yield. | |
