Report Released on World Food Production

For the second year in a row, the rate of global agricultural productivity growth has stalled, according to a report from the Global Harvest Initiative (GHI).

The Initiative, a private-sector collaborative focused on agricultural productivity for global food security, released its sixth annual Global Agricultural Productivity Report last week in Des Moines.

It warned that unless this productivity increases, the world may not be able to effectively provide the food, feed, fiber and biofuels needed for a booming global population.

Among report findings:

• Global agricultural productivity must increase by 1.75% annually to meet the demands of an estimated 9.7 billion people in 2050.
   
• The current rate of growth is 1.72%.
   
• The rate of annual productivity growth in low-income countries is lower at 1.5%. At this rate, by 2030, sub-Saharan Africa will be able to meet only 14% of its food demand.
   
• Productivity growth in the U.S. has fallen from its historical average of 1.5 to 2% from 1960 to 2000. It was less than 1% from 2001-2010, raising concerns about the long-term potential for sustainable agricultural and economic growth.

The news release distributed by GHI did not offer insight into why data on U.S. productivity concluded in 2010. S