CAST Issue Paper 45

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Agricultural Productivity Strategies for the
Future Addressing U.S. and Global Challenges
West view of the U.S. Capitol Building in
Washington D.C. (Photo courtesy of the Architect
of the Capitol.)

• CAST Issue Paper 45
• January 2010

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Issue Paper Authors

• Gale Buchanan (Chair)
• College of Agricultural and Environmental
  Sciences
• The University of Georgia, Tifton Campus
• Robert W. Herdt
• Department of Applied Economics and Management
• Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
• Luther G. Tweeten
• Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and
  Development Economics
• The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Preface Author
• Norman E. Borlaug, Professor Emeritus (1914
  2009)
• Texas AM University
• College Station

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Issue Paper Reviewers and CAST Liaison

• Issue Paper Reviewers
• Charles F. Connor
• National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
• Washington, D.C.
• Charles E. Hess
• Department of Plant Science
• University of California, Davis
• Per Pinstrup-Andersen
• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
• CAST Liaison
• Henry L. Shands
• Fort Collins, Colorado

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Dr. Norman E. Borlaug 1914 - 2009
Agricultural Science and the Public. 1973. CAST
Paper No. 1
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Introduction

• Success of agriculture
• Issues this paper addresses
• Issues not addressed
• Correcting pathologies in the U.S. economy
• Future role of agriculture in meeting the energy
  and climate control challenge
• Future success of agriculture through enhanced
  productivity

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Future Demands Facing Agriculture

• Principal drivers of global demand for
  agricultural output
• One billion people who today rarely get enough to
  eat
• Projections show 2025 demand for farm products
  will be 143 of 2000 demand

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Bioenergy and Bioproducts Bring About a New
Paradigm for Agriculture

• We can visualize, if not see, the end of cheap
  petroleum
• Harvesting the suns energy is one approach to
  meeting the energy challenge
• Competition for resources will require hard
  choices
• Unfolding of this process will mean an almost
  limitless demand for agricultural output

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Emerging Constraints on Future Agricultural
Productivity in the U.S.

• We are aware of present constraints others are
  emerging
• It is prudent to plan for all

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Soil, Water and Crop Issues

• Soil erosion is a long-term problem
• Water quality and quantity are affected by
  farming and irrigation practices
• Bioengineered crops offer benefits to agriculture
  but raise concerns in some countries

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Animal Welfare Issues

• Most people recognize that animal agriculture is
  under fire in some areas
• Society as a whole will largely determine and set
  social and moral standards in animal agriculture
• Certain production practices, if implemented,
  will place further demands on agriculture

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Endangered Species Act

• Preserving diversity comes at a price
• We must weigh costs vs. benefits

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Fertilizer Resources

• Sustainability of agriculture requires a
  sustainable source of plant nutrients
• - Nitrogen
• - Potassium
• - Phosphorus

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Global Warming

• Global warming will have an influence on
  agriculture by affecting the demand for natural
  resources
• - the crops we grow
• - the location of crop production
• - the availability of water some areas too much,
  other areas too little

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Major Issues Facing Agricultural Productivity
Outside the U.S.

• Must consider agriculture from a global
  perspective
• China expected growing demand for food has not
  affected global ecosystem in past decade
• India great potential for increased production
• Brazil continued growth of agriculture is
  possible, but there are environmental concerns
• Sub-Saharan Africa recent increases in
  agricultural GDP, but significant challenges
  remain

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Strategies to Meet Future Agriculture Needs for
Agricultural Output

• Success requires a supportive institutional
  structure
• Generally, this support must come from the public
  sector

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Assist Less-Developed Countries (LDC)

• Approaches
• Provide food and medical support
• Help build institutional and intellectual
  capacity
• Develop international agreements and trade
• Must be greater commitment for sustained support
  for research

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The Next Green Revolution

• Strong commitment to science is necessary to meet
  future challenges
• Remember Dr. Borlaugs challenge
• How do we go about making the Next Green
  Revolution happen?

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Commitment of ALL branches of Science

• Basic science
• Applied science
• Classical genetics
• Biotechnology
• Other areas such as nanotechnology

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A Few Ideas That We Suggest Should Be Considered

• Enabling C3 plants to utilize the C4
  photosynthetic pathway
• Nitrogen fixation in non-legumes
• Incorporating the process of apomixes into crop
  plants
• Improving pest resistance in plants
• Improving energy efficiency of plants

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What is the Commitment to Agricultural Research
to Bring about Another Green Revolution?

• Linkage between agricultural research and
  productivity is unquestioned
• Encouraging support for research and development
  beginning in the 1960s
• Maintained level until early 1990s
• Gradual increase in support for research since
  2000
• Bottom line We must strengthen our commitment
  to research!

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Conclusions

• Challenges are real
• Agricultures challenge is food, feed, fiber,
  flowers, and now fuel or energy
• Convergence of so many at one time is
  unprecedented

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Strategies for Meeting the Challenges

• Meeting the challenges of maintaining and
  enhancing agricultural productivity requires
  broad-based support
• It will require constant public commitment to
  acquire adequate funding for agricultural
  research and education
• Remain hopeful and confident

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