38
Agricultural extension agents or agricultural retail service providers can equip
growers with knowledge of best practices that enable more efficient and timely
cultivation techniques, improve soil and water quality, and improve crop yields.
TFP growth also comes from widespread adoption of precision data and information technologies in farm equipment to target applications of fertilizer, water, and
crop protection. Having access to geo-referenced data also enables farmers to
improve soil quality, plan for crop rotation cycles, and place less productive land
into conservation.
In livestock production, TFP increases when favorable genetic traits in animals
are selected and bred and when animals receive better overall husbandry, vaccinations, and high-quality feeds that deliver more nutrition per volume. In forestry,
genetically improved trees provide faster-growing products for earlier harvesting
and more volume per tree.
Ensuring that farmers and producers of all scales and sizes gain access to better
innovation, technology and training, and knowledge for best practices will help foster greater TFP and reduce impact on the soil, aquifers, and other underground water
bodies and water and air quality, as well as effectively use increasingly scarce labor
in agricultural operations.
TFP looks beyond simply how much farmers are producing. It reveals how efficiently they are producing it and indicates how well they are conserving available
resources to meet future needs. Productivity growth in agriculture lowers the cost
per unit of output, helping producers succeed in today’s competitive business cycle,
and enables agri-food systems to provide lower prices for consumers.
Farmers use productive technologies and practices such as improved seeds and
farm equipment, genetically improved livestock, and good animal husbandry to
increase output while conserving land and water and protecting soils for future generations. In addition to promoting competitiveness and conservation, productive
technologies and good practices also support the UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) to end hunger and malnutrition, protect the safety of the water supply,
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Case studies throughout this chapter demonstrate how farmers of all scales, producing a variety of products in different geographies, are conserving and protecting
their soil and water resources while reducing their climate impact. Innovations
highlighted include drought-tolerant new plant varieties that enable poor farmers in
dryland areas to grow in stressful conditions (Box 2.3); precision agriculture technologies that enrich soil in the field and keep nutrients out of streams; and animal
care innovations and practices that improve the health and productivity of each animal while reducing emissions from livestock production.
Box 2.3 Corn Productivity Feeds Vietnam (Zeigler and Steensland 2017)
Corn is already the second largest crop in Vietnam after rice, yet the country
still imports between five and seven million tons of corn each year to feed
livestock for growing consumer protein demand. With little additional land
available for production, farmers must improve corn productivity on existing
(continued)
A. Steensland and M. Zeigler
Agricultural extension agents or agricultural retail service providers can equip
growers with knowledge of best practices that enable more efficient and timely
cultivation techniques, improve soil and water quality, and improve crop yields.
TFP growth also comes from widespread adoption of precision data and information technologies in farm equipment to target applications of fertilizer, water, and
crop protection. Having access to geo-referenced data also enables farmers to
improve soil quality, plan for crop rotation cycles, and place less productive land
into conservation.
In livestock production, TFP increases when favorable genetic traits in animals
are selected and bred and when animals receive better overall husbandry, vaccinations, and high-quality feeds that deliver more nutrition per volume. In forestry,
genetically improved trees provide faster-growing products for earlier harvesting
and more volume per tree.
Ensuring that farmers and producers of all scales and sizes gain access to better
innovation, technology and training, and knowledge for best practices will help foster greater TFP and reduce impact on the soil, aquifers, and other underground water
bodies and water and air quality, as well as effectively use increasingly scarce labor
in agricultural operations.
TFP looks beyond simply how much farmers are producing. It reveals how efficiently they are producing it and indicates how well they are conserving available
resources to meet future needs. Productivity growth in agriculture lowers the cost
per unit of output, helping producers succeed in today’s competitive business cycle,
and enables agri-food systems to provide lower prices for consumers.
Farmers use productive technologies and practices such as improved seeds and
farm equipment, genetically improved livestock, and good animal husbandry to
increase output while conserving land and water and protecting soils for future generations. In addition to promoting competitiveness and conservation, productive
technologies and good practices also support the UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) to end hunger and malnutrition, protect the safety of the water supply,
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Case studies throughout this chapter demonstrate how farmers of all scales, producing a variety of products in different geographies, are conserving and protecting
their soil and water resources while reducing their climate impact. Innovations
highlighted include drought-tolerant new plant varieties that enable poor farmers in
dryland areas to grow in stressful conditions (Box 2.3); precision agriculture technologies that enrich soil in the field and keep nutrients out of streams; and animal
care innovations and practices that improve the health and productivity of each animal while reducing emissions from livestock production.
Box 2.3 Corn Productivity Feeds Vietnam (Zeigler and Steensland 2017)
Corn is already the second largest crop in Vietnam after rice, yet the country
still imports between five and seven million tons of corn each year to feed
livestock for growing consumer protein demand. With little additional land
available for production, farmers must improve corn productivity on existing
(continued)
A. Steensland and M. Zeigler