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Eldon Ball, Margriet Caswell, Kelly Day-Rubenstein, Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo, Paul Heisey, and Keith Wiebe
Agriculture around the world depends on seed stocks to maintain and improve important crop attributes. This section examines crop genetic resources, biotechnology, agricultural research and (resulting agricultural productivity), and the status of global resources influencing food production. Among the findings:
- Crop genetic resources are essential for agricultural production. Conservation of crop genetic resources is complicated by proprietary uncertainty and ease of replicating genetic material.
- Public and private research and development have driven impressive gains in agricultural productivity. Over the past few decades, advances in the biological sciences and strengthened intellectual property right protection have increased research investment by the private sector.
- Farmers adopting engineered crops have derived tangible benefits such as increased returns and decreased pesticide use, even though not all benefits (or costs) are reflected in standard measures of net returns.
- U.S. agricultural output grew at an average annual rate of 1.76 percent over 1948-2002. Input use actually declined in aggregate, so the positive growth was due entirely to increased productivity.
- Global food production has grown faster than population in recent decades, due largely to improved seeds and increased use of fertilizer and irrigation. Soil degradation has compromised yields in some areas, but does not threaten global food security.
Contents
Knowledge Resources and Productivity
3.1 Crop Genetic Resources — html, pdf
3.2 Agricultural Research and Development — html, pdf
3.3 Biotechnology and Agriculture — html, pdf
3.4 Productivity and Output Growth in U.S. Agriculture — html, pdf
3.5 Global Resources and Productivity — html, pdf
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