Increasing farm productivity is widely
regarded as a prerequisite for improving rural
livelihoods and supporting development in lowincome
countries. Public and private institution
mission statements and budgets reflect this
priority: the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) mandate is to “improve
agricultural productivity, better the lives of
rural populations and contribute to the growth
of the world economy” (1); fully 75% of World
Bank agricultural lending goes to “increasing
agricultural productivity” (2); the U.S. Agency
for International Development identifies
increased productivity as a key to “inclusive
agriculture-led growth” (3); and the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation invests “to reduce
hunger and poverty for millions of farming
families in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
by increasing agricultural productivity in a
sustainable way” (emphasis added) (4). Toward
productivity-related goals, governments, nonprofits
and others have invested billions to raise
crop yields (5).