Global Agricultural Productivity

Global Agricultural Productivity

News: Global agricultural productivity (GAP) is not growing as fast as the demand for food, amid the impact of climate change, according to a new report.

Background:
• The GAP Report is released by Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
• It urges the acceleration of productivity growth from smallholders to large-scale farmers to meet consumers’ needs and address current and future threats to human and environmental well-being.
• In agriculture, productivity is measured as Total Factor Productivity or TFP.
• An increase in TFP growth indicates that more crops, livestock, and aquaculture products were produced with the same amount (or less) land, labor, fertilizer, machinery, feed, and livestock.
• TFP grows when producers increase output using improved technologies and practices, such as advanced seed varieties, precision mechanization, efficient nutrient and water management techniques, and improved animal care practices.
• Using agricultural inputs efficiently to generate more output reduces agriculture’s environmental impact and lowers costs for producers and consumers.

Details:
• Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is growing at an annual rate of 1.36% (2020-2019).
• This is below the Global Agricultural Productivity Index that has set an annual target of 1.73% growth to sustainably meet the needs of consumers for food and bioenergy in 2050.
• TFP growth is influenced by climate change, weather events, changes in fiscal policy, market conditions, investments in infrastructure and agricultural research and development.
• Drier Regions (Africa and Latin America): Climate change has slowed productivity growth by as much as 34%.
• High-Income Countries (in North America and Europe): Modest TFP growth.
• Middle Income Countries (India, China, Brazil and erstwhile Soviet republics): Strong TFP growth rates.
• Low-Income Countries (Sub-Saharan Africa): TFP is contracting by an average of 0.31% per year.
• 36% of the world’s land is used for agriculture. Forests and biodiverse areas will be destroyed for planting or pasture.USD 2T in economic losses and 4 million deaths are attributed to diet-related diseases each year.
• 90% of the earth’s soils could be degraded by erosion by 2050.
• 37% of methane emissions from humans influenced activity come from cattle and other ruminants.
• 40% of irrigation water is lost due to inefficient irrigation.
• Water sources will be depleted, making prime agricultural land unusable.

Indian Scenario
• India has seen strong TFP and output growth this century.The most recent data shows an average annual TFP growth rate of 2.81% and output growth of 3.17% (2010–2019.)
• By the end of the century, the mean summer temperature in India could increase by five degrees Celsius.
• This rapidly rising temperature, combined with changes in rainfall patterns, could cut yields for India’s major food crops by 10% by 2035.In addition to the challenges for environmental sustainability, India’s small-scale farmers face significant obstacles to economic and social sustainability.
• Of the 147 million landholdings in India, 100 million are less than two hectares in size. Nearly 90% of farmers farming less than two hectares participate in a government food ration program.

Key recommendations
• The report urged accelerating investments in agricultural R&D to increase and preserve productivity gains, especially for small farmers.It identified six strategies and policies that would create sustainable agricultural growth at all scales of production:
• Invest in agricultural research and development
• Embrace science-and-information-based technologies
• Improve infrastructure for transportation, information and finance
• Cultivate partnerships for sustainable agriculture, economic growth and improved nutrition
• Expand and improve local, regional and global trade
• Reduce post-harvest loss and food waste