Food Commodity Prices in the Long Run: The Crucial Role of Agricultural Research and Productivity

Publication Date: December, 2010

Over the past 50 years and longer, the supply of food commodities has grown faster than the effective market demand, in spite of increasing population and per capita incomes.

Read more

Global Patterns of Crop Yields and Other Partial Productivity Measures and Prices

Publication Date: January, 2010

We document a global slow down in growth of agricultural productivity and commodity yields, and thus in the long-term downward trend of real food commodity prices.

Read more

Climate Change: Impact on Agriculture and Costs of Adaptation

Publication Date: October, 2009

This Food Policy Report presents research results that quantify climate-change impacts assess the consequences for food security, and estimate the investments that would offset the negative consequences for human well-being.

Read more

Agricultural Research, Productivity, and Food Prices in the Long Run

Publication Date: September, 2009
This article documents a slowdown in growth of agricultural productivity and grain yields. If this persists, it may cause profound implications for food prices in the future.
Read more

Mendel versus Malthus: Research, Productivity and Food Prices in the Long Run

Publication Date: September, 2009

Evidence is beginning to emerge of a slowdown in the long-term path of agricultural productivity growth. These productivity patterns mirror a progressive slowing down in the growth rate of total spending on agricultural R&D and a redirection of the funds away from farm productivity that began 20-30 years ago.

Read more
CSV