Global Consumer Trends Transform the Food and Agriculture System, yet Sustainability and Food Security Are Undermined by Low Productivity Growth

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A new report authored by the Global Harvest Initiative was launched at the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa on October 17, 2018. The 2018 Global Agricultural Productivity Report® (2018 GAP Report®): Agriculture for a Healthy Sustainable World explores the consumer trends that are transforming the food and agriculture system. The report lays out a vision for a world where people thrive, and the planet's resources are protected for generations to come.

The 2018 GAP Report® is launched for the first time in a new digital format, with in-depth cases and analyses of the consumer impact on global food and agriculture systems. Special sections highlight how the imperative for sustainability impacts people, the planet and producers. See GlobalAgriculturalProductivity.org for the full report.

According to the report, today's consumers expect much more from their agriculture and food systems than in previous generations. Through their purchases, consumers express their preferences and values and help shape decisions producers and retailers make.

In most households around the world, women are the "chief purchasing officer" and have enormous influence over the food system. Recognizing and supporting them with innovation, investment, partnerships and smart policies will be essential to achieve a hunger-free, healthy and sustainable world.

The 2018 GAP Report® also highlights tremendous challenges that must be surmounted. For the fifth straight year, global agricultural productivity growth is not accelerating fast enough to sustainably feed the world in 2050. The report warns that unless this trend is reversed, the world may not be able to sustainably provide the food, feed, fiber and biofuels needed for a growing, more affluent global population.

According to the GAP Report®, global agricultural productivity must increase by 1.75 percent annually to meet the demands of nearly 10 billion people in 2050. GHI's annual assessment of global productivity growth – the GAP Index™ – shows the current rate of growth is only 1.51 percent.

The rate of agricultural productivity growth for low-income countries is particularly troubling, reaching only 0.96 percent annually – a downward trend from 1.31 percent in 2016 and 1.24 percent in 2017. This is well below the productivity growth rate needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) target of doubling productivity for small-scale farmers in low-income countries and achieving Zero Hunger by 2050.

The 2018 GAP Report® highlights innovations and practices farmers and all participants in the agriculture and food system are taking to conserve soil and water, improve the quality and safety of food and keep prices affordable for consumers. The GAP Report® also examines how food wasted is productivity lost.

Improved food production relies heavily on public agricultural research and development (R&D) and extension systems as well as regulatory frameworks that incentivize risk-taking innovation and investment. The GAP Report® highlights the critical investments needed in public policies such as research, improving trade, embracing science and information-technologies and public-private partnerships.

"Innovation and productivity are essential to keeping pace with the quantity and quality of food that consumers are demanding. We all have a role to play in creating a healthier, more sustainable world. The power of robust public research and strong public policy are often over-looked," said Doyle Karr, Biotechnology Public Policy director, Corteva Agriscience™, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, and chair of the GHI Board of Directors.

"The value that society places on reducing GHG emissions and better stewardship of soil, water and wildlife is leading to consumer demand for climate-friendly production methods and supply chains," said Margaret Zeigler, executive director of GHI. "The GAP Report® provides a number of case studies that illustrate how consumer demand, coupled with innovations developed in the public and private sectors, can shape and improve the food and agriculture system of the 21st century."

GHI presented the 2018 GAP Report® findings before an audience of farmers and youth involved in agriculture, and global leaders in science, research, policy and private industry attending the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa.

Dr. Zeigler was joined by national and international expert panelists as follows: The Honorable Julie Kenney, Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and farmer; Dr. Keith Fuglie, Economist, USDA Economic Research Service; Dr. Mercy Lung'aho, Nutrition Lead for Africa, CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture); Dr. Kiran Sharma, Principal Scientist and CEO of the Agribusiness Platform, ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics); and Mr. Aaron Wetzel, Vice President, Ag & Turf Global Platform, Crop Care, for the Agriculture and Turf Division, John Deere.

Resources

• The 2018 GAP Report is presented at the World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa and the event is streamed live online October 17 from 11:00 AM to noon CDT at http://www.globalagriculturalproductivity.org
• The GAP Report® can be found on http://www.globalagriculturalproductivity.org
• Follow the event on Twitter: #GAPReport @AG_Productivity @Harvest2050

About The Global Harvest Initiative
The Global Harvest Initiative (GHI) is a collaborative private-sector voice for productivity growth throughout the agricultural value chain to sustainably meet the demands of a growing world. Since 2009, GHI has been focused on the importance of agricultural productivity for global food security, and releases its signature GAP Report®, an annual benchmark of the global rate of agricultural productivity. GHI's membership includes Corteva Agriscience™, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, John Deere, Monsanto Company (acquired by Bayer AG), The Mosaic Company and Smithfield Foods. GHI is joined by Consultative Partner Organizations from the conservation, university and multilateral development bank sectors. Visit us at http://www.globalharvestinitiative.org, Twitter @Harvest2050 http://twitter.com/#!/harvest2050, and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/GlobalHarvestInitiative.

SOURCE Global Harvest Initiative

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http://www.globalharvestinitiative.org