From Bytes to Bites: Using Country Specific Machine Learning Models to Predict Famine

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Kapoor, Salloni, Sayer, Simeon
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Kapoor, Salloni
Sayer, Simeon
author_facet Kapoor, Salloni
Sayer, Simeon
contents Hunger crises are critical global issues affecting millions, particularly in low-income and developing countries. This research investigates how machine learning can be utilized to predict and inform decisions regarding famine and hunger crises. By leveraging a diverse set of variables (natural, economic, and conflict-related), three machine learning models (Linear Regression, XGBoost, and RandomForestRegressor) were employed to predict food consumption scores, a key indicator of household nutrition. The RandomForestRegressor emerged as the most accurate model, with an average prediction error of 10.6%, though accuracy varied significantly across countries, ranging from 2% to over 30%. Notably, economic indicators were consistently the most significant predictors of average household nutrition, while no single feature dominated across all regions, underscoring the necessity for comprehensive data collection and tailored, country-specific models. These findings highlight the potential of machine learning, particularly Random Forests, to enhance famine prediction, suggesting that continued research and improved data gathering are essential for more effective global hunger forecasting.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_09980
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle From Bytes to Bites: Using Country Specific Machine Learning Models to Predict Famine
Kapoor, Salloni
Sayer, Simeon
Machine Learning
Hunger crises are critical global issues affecting millions, particularly in low-income and developing countries. This research investigates how machine learning can be utilized to predict and inform decisions regarding famine and hunger crises. By leveraging a diverse set of variables (natural, economic, and conflict-related), three machine learning models (Linear Regression, XGBoost, and RandomForestRegressor) were employed to predict food consumption scores, a key indicator of household nutrition. The RandomForestRegressor emerged as the most accurate model, with an average prediction error of 10.6%, though accuracy varied significantly across countries, ranging from 2% to over 30%. Notably, economic indicators were consistently the most significant predictors of average household nutrition, while no single feature dominated across all regions, underscoring the necessity for comprehensive data collection and tailored, country-specific models. These findings highlight the potential of machine learning, particularly Random Forests, to enhance famine prediction, suggesting that continued research and improved data gathering are essential for more effective global hunger forecasting.
title From Bytes to Bites: Using Country Specific Machine Learning Models to Predict Famine
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.09980