Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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The steep growth in food production during the last century was historically unprec-
edented. This in large part was achieved during 1950 through 1970 as a result of the
introduction of high-yielding crop varieties and energy-intensive agriculture. This
period is called the green revolution, a time when world grain production expanded
by about 3.5% per year. This rate far surpassed the global population growth of 2.3
%
per year. The success of the green revolution lay primarily in its increased use of
fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, and improved seeds, all of which raised crop yields.
Growth in food production has slowed since 1970, averaging about 2.3% per year
in 1970 to 2006 (FAOSTAT, online database), but nevertheless remained positive
on a per capita basis, 0.7% per year. The production performance varies by coun-
try and region: Food production growth was much higher in developing countries
than developed countries at 3.6% versus 0.74% per year, respectively, during 1970
to 2006. The high population growth in developing countries limited the per capita
gains to 1.63% per year; per capita growth in developed countries averaged 0.12%
per year. Food production performance among the lowest-income group (50 coun-
tries according to the U.N. classification) was impressive, about 2.3% per year, but
again, because of their high population growth rates, output on a per capita basis
actually declined by about 0.3% per year. Since domestic food production accounts
for the bulk of consumption for this group of countries as financial constraints limit
import capacity, the hunger situation improved little in most of these countries.
Growth in grain production stems from three sources: expansion of arable land,
increase in cropping intensity (i.e., multiple cropping), and growth in yields. During
the last three decades, the growth in global grain yields has exceeded that of total
grain production: 1.6% per year versus 1.3%. This has translated into a decline in the
production area allocated to grains. This pattern was more pronounced in develop-
ing countries, where about 90% of the growth in grain production was due to growth
in yield (2.3% and 2% growth per year, respectively). Of the lowest-income coun-
tries in the developing country group, the picture was reversed in that nearly 90%
of the growth in grain production was achieved through area expansion, and only
10% was due to increases in yields. In SSA and the lower-income Latin American
countries, expansion of arable land has been the force behind production growth.
Grain yields per hectare in SSA are the lowest in the world, measuring about one
third of world averages. Yields for corn—a staple crop for many countries in the
region—have increased negligibly since the early 1970s and currently equal about
a third of world levels (Figure 22.4). SSA's reliance on area expansion for growth in
output is unsustainable because much of the land being brought into production at
this point is of poor quality and limits the performance of yields. The low quality of
land influences farmers' investment decisions, and the risks associated with these
investments are magnified because of their limited financial position. Overall, low-
income farmers encounter a vicious cycle in that they are faced with limited financial
capacity to purchase inputs and new technologies that can improve increased yields,
so they expand area by moving to marginal lands and thereby intensify the problem
of land degradation.
