The ‘valley of death’—the chasm between developing innovative agricultural solutions and getting them into the hands of producers—poses a significant threat to achieving global agricultural productivity growth goals by 2050 to meet the growing demand for agricultural products.
The 2024 Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report underscores the urgency of bridging the valley of death by rethinking how we bundle productivity tools – like technologies, seeds, or improved practices – with distribution mechanisms, socio-economic tools, and policy levers.
The Global Agricultural Productivity Initiative at Virginia Tech (GAP Initiative) is proud to announce the launch of the 2024 Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report, titled 'Powering Productivity: Scaling High-Impact Bundles of Proven & Emerging Tools,' set to be unveiled on October 3 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. and online.
The 2024 GAP Report highlights troubling findings of continually slowing agricultural productivity growth. But why is this so important? When TFP growth slows, economic competitiveness in the agricultural sector is impacted, investment is deterred, and innovation and growth is stifled. It also negatively impacts farmer’s profitability and income, especially among small-scale producers in sub-Saharan Africa and other world regions. Moreover, reduced productivity growth will hamper the agricultural sector’s ability to adapt to climate change impacts, compromising global food supply stability.
The launch of the 2024 GAP Report will bring together farmers, policy makers, private sector, and non-governmental organizations to discuss the report’s findings and explore innovative solutions to accelerate agricultural productivity growth. The event will feature two panel discussions: a multisectoral panel on successful bundling approaches and an all-farmer panel providing firsthand insights from the field.
Featured speakers at the event include Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist for USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, and Alejandra Castro, Vice President for International Affairs and Sustainability Strategy at Bayer Crop Science. The keynote address will be delivered by Simeon Ehui, Director General of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture. Their insights and expertise will provide valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in driving sustainable productivity growth.
The 2024 GAP Report will detail the importance of tackling the agricultural productivity growth slow down and provides a roadmap for unlocking the full potential of TFP growth for the benefit of farmers, society, the environment, and the global economy. By strategically bundling productivity tools with socio-economic, policy, and distribution mechanisms, we can power productivity growth and create bridges across the ‘valley of death’ tailored to local contexts and cultures.
Join the GAP Initiative on October 3 to explore these critical issues and chart a path forward for global agricultural productivity.