CALS Global

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https://hdl.handle.net/10919/102792

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Browsing CALS Global by Author "Agnew, Jessica"

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    2022 Global Agricultural Productivity Report: Troublesome Trends And System Shocks
    Steensland, Ann (Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Global Programs, 2022)
    Global agricultural systems are being rocked by COVID-19, climate change, extreme weather events, and conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere, driving up prices for food and agricultural inputs. The agricultural systems of high- and upper-middle-income countries are withstanding the shocks relatively well. However, food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty rates have risen sharply, especially in low-income countries since 2020. In 2022, 40 million people faced emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity, twice as high as in 2020 and six times more than in 2016 (Food Security Information Network, 2022). The troubling trends in agricultural productivity growth are mainly unnoticed; updated data reveals that the world’s shock-sensitive systems rest on increasingly fragile foundations. Reversing the downward trajectory of global agricultural productivity growth demands urgent action from policymakers, leaders, donors, scientists, farmers, and others in the agri-food system.
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    2024 GAP Report: Powering Productivity
    Agnew, Jessica; Nakelse, Tebila (Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2024)
    Agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) growth is critical for ensuring that agriculture can meet the growing global demand for agricultural products by 2050. However, since 2013, average annual TFP growth has fallen to just 0.7 percent. This requires another upward revision of the target TFP growth rate to 2 percent to achieve sustainable agricultural production. We urgently need to elevate our efforts to accelerate TFP growth annually. While research and development (R&D) remains a vital driver of TFP growth, it is clear that public and private R&D alone will not suffice. The 2024 GAP Report™️ emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap between innovation and widespread adoption—referred to as the ‘valley of death'—through the strategic bundling of productivity tools with socio-economic, policy, and distribution mechanisms. This report explores how these bundles, tailored to local contexts and integrated with existing proven tools, can overcome the barriers that prevent farmers from accessing and adopting technologies that drive sustainable productivity growth. From in-depth research to real-world stories, the 2024 GAP Report™️ sheds light on the pathways to unlocking the full potential of TFP growth for the benefit of farmers, society, the environment, and the global economy.