A poor crop or bad harvest; crop failure caused by factors like bad weather or pests.
今年は干ばつで米が不作だった。
This year the drought caused a poor rice harvest.
不作の年が続き、農家は大きな打撃を受けた。
Years of poor harvests continued and farmers suffered a major blow.
Low quality or poor output (e.g., of artistic works or products); a year with few notable works.
今年の映画は不作で、見るものが少なかった。
This year's films were poor; there were few worth watching.
作家にとって不作の年は厳しい。
A year with few good works is harsh for an author.