CALS Global

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

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Browsing CALS Global by Subject "Agricultural Productivity"

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    2021 Global Agricultural Productivity Report: Climate for Agricultural Growth
    Steensland, Ann (Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2021-10-20)
    During the next 30 years, the world’s population will grow larger and more prosperous. Demand will soar for food and agricultural goods, including meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, timber, oilseeds for cooking and industrial uses, and biomass for energy, heat, and cooking. At the same time, the natural resource base and ecosystems are under stress from climate change, soil degradation, and poor water management. Poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition remain stubbornly high, condemning hundreds of millions of people to ill health and unfulfilled potential. Accelerating productivity growth at all scales of production is imperative to meet the needs of consumers and address current and future threats to human and environmental well-being. The human, economic, and environmental consequences of not meeting productivity targets are profound.
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    Productivity in Agriculture for a Sustainable Future
    Steensland, Ann; Zeigler, Margaret (Springer, 2021)
    In 2050, the number of people living on our planet will grow to nearly 10 billion, and that could double the demand for food, feed, fiber, and biofuels from 2005 levels (von Lampe et al. 2014). It is imperative that this demand be met in a way that is economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially beneficial. Our food and agriculture systems face enormous challenges to sustainably producing sufficient, nutritious affordable food, feed, fiber, and biofuel for a growing world. At present, agriculture is the largest user of water globally; agriculture also is the single largest use of land, covering a third of the planet’s surface. Competition between food production and other uses of water and land will increase in the coming decades. In addition, climate change threatens agricultural productivity due to increased temperatures and shifts in weather patterns (Box 2.1), thereby making it difficult for crops and livestock to grow and thrive and for agricultural laborers to endure the physical challenges.