Current Perspectives on Global Agricultural Development: A Review
Abstract
A growing body of literature examines current perspectives on global agricultural development, including determining agricultural productivity, food security, technological change, climate change, and other structural developments. By integrating an array of recent analytical contributions, this review aims to synthesise key insights and highlight neglected areas for future research and policy engagement.
To adequately anticipate future developments in agricultural production, it is essential to pinpoint crucial trends that are likely to have a substantial, ongoing influence on this field. These significant trends include the following: the volume and variability of agricultural production, the impact of technological change on agricultural productivity, the relationship between agricultural productivity and food security, and the structural shift from agriculture-based to industry- and service-based economic growth. Collectively, these trends form a comprehensive framework for framing analytical research questions on the evolution of agriculture. From a global perspective, they unfold in distinct ways in different countries, regions, and development stages.
For example, Africa and the Middle East experienced a surge in food production from 1960 to 1995, followed by stagnation, while all other regions maintained upward trends. Agricultural productivity in food-sufficient countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Malaysia did not converge with productivity levels in Europe or the United States, in contrast to developing economies where convergence remained strong. In certain less-developed regions, noteworthy changes in the dynamics and geography of agricultural growth have taken place; several countries now exhibit production trajectories that were formerly characteristic only of industrialised countries (Bosc et al., 2012)..
Keywords: Global Agricultural Development, food, food security, Sustainable intensification, rural areas
