Welcome to the Harvest 2050 Blog
Welcome to the Harvest 2050 Blog, a resource for those charting the course of global agriculture's march to close the productivity gap, that is - the difference between the historic rates of productivity growth and the pace required to meet the world's food, feed and fiber needs.
The idea of this blog will be to discuss and highlight a cornucopia of "real time" thoughts and opinions related to global agriculture such as innovation, land and water use (sustainability), policy issues and opportunities.
For instance, here's an excellent Wall Street Journal take by Norman Borlaug, professor at the Texas A&M University, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The piece provides a prescription for meeting the challenge faced by farmers to feed the world, including:
"At this time of critical need, the epicenter of our collective work should focus on driving continued investments from both the public and private sectors in efficient agriculture production technologies."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack underscored the above point, in a recent address to the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum. In outlining the challenge of increasing food security and expanding agriculture growth in Africa, Vilsack said:
"Efforts should maximize success by engaging multi-lateral institutions and processes. Our strategies must deal with increasing agriculture production. A number of things could help countries increase output including seed technology, the establishment of appropriate uses of fertilization, the applications of critical land management techniques, and the creation of a strong post-harvest infrastructure."
Closing the global productivity gap will require an all-hands-on-deck-effort. No country, organization or company can effectively do it alone. Instead, a concerted pursuit of policies that collectively foster innovation globally throughout the chain is a must.
Case in point is Africa. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also speaking at the AGOAF, offered that with innovation, investment and assistance, Africa has the ability to cultivate and create its own bread basket:
"...With most of the world's remaining arable land spread across the African continent, Africa has a responsibility and an opportunity to maximize agricultural promise and provide food for your own people and the world as well."
These are just a few examples of the topical and provocative thoughts the Harvest 2050 Blog will present - the point being not to tell you what to think, but rather to provide you with a resource about agricultural issues, and to facilitate a dialogue about the myriad of issues facing global agriculture in our effort to close the productivity gap.
We welcome your input - your questions, concerns and ideas.