LACIE: A look to the future

The Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) is a project designed to demonstrate the applicability of remote sensing technology to monitor globally an important world food crop - wheat. The need for more timely and reliable monitoring of food and fiber supplies is discussed, and the monitoring systems currently utilized are reviewed. The fundamentals involved in assessing the impact of variable weather and economic conditions on wheat acreage, yield, and production are elucidated. The experiment's approach to production monitoring is described, and its status is reviewed. Examples of acreage and yield monitoring in the Soviet Union are used to illustrate the experiment's approach.