Agriculture Productivity

Importance of Agricultural Productivity

It’s important to maximise agricultural productivity. Why?

Food Security

What is food security?

Maintaining high agricultural productivity is a key part of food security. Unless agricultural output is high, food prices will rise. Poorer people will struggle to afford an adequate, nutritious diet. Meanwhile, subsistence farmers may struggle to grow enough food for themselves and their families.

Income

A farm's profit is equivalent to its revenue, minus its costs. Increasing agricultural productivity enhances revenue without increasing costs. Thus, farms will make more profit.

Environmental Benefits

Modern agriculture is detrimental to the environment. It's associated with pollution, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing productivity reduces the land and energy requirements of agriculture. In turn, this results in less environmental degradation, less deforestation, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Measuring Agricultural Productivity

It can be difficult to measure agricultural productivity due to all the different inputs and outputs. However, we can use agricultural energetics to gauge an idea of a farm's productivity.

In a way, agriculture itself is an energy conversion process. Solar energy is converted into food (chemical) energy by photosynthesis.

But this conversion process requires energy to operate farm machinery such as tractors and to regulate the temperature of buildings like greenhouses and cattle sheds.

Figure 1: Tractors are heavy. They can weigh up to 6000 kg – thus, requiring large amounts of energy to operate. Source: unsplash.com

When considering agricultural energetics, we also need to consider embodied energy — the energy necessary for the life cycle of a product, including extraction of raw materials and construction. For example, we need to consider the indirect energy use of producing agrochemicals, irrigation, and the construction of buildings, vehicles, and equipment.

Productivity and Efficiency

Productivity and efficiency are similar descriptors, but they mean slightly different things.

To increase productivity, an individual tries to complete more work using the same amount of resources.

Energy productivity = energy output ÷ energy input.

Farmers aim to enhance their energy productivity by increasing output.

To increase efficiency, an individual tries to complete the same amount of work using fewer resources.

Energy efficiency = (useful energy output ÷ total energy input) x 100%.

Farmers aim to enhance their energy efficiency by decreasing input.

Energy Subsidies

What is energy subsidy in agriculture?

The energy subsidy is greater for modern agricultural practices than traditional practices.

Modern farming relies primarily on fossil fuels to:

• Produce agrochemicals

• Operate farm vehicles and machinery

• Pump water for irrigation

• Transport produce

• Process and package food for retail

Intensive and Extensive Systems

The differences between the two systems are summarised in this table.

Intensive systems have a high energy input, but they are much more efficient regarding output per land area. However, they use large amounts of agrochemicals (which lead to pollution) and often keep livestock inside instead of allowing them to graze freely.

Extensive systems are less efficient regarding output per area. However, their energy input is considerably lower. System productivity varies, depending on natural fertility, climate, and terrain. Extensive systems are less damaging to the environment, and animal welfare is better.

Examples of Agricultural Productivity Measurements

Let's put what we've just learned into context.

Worked Example: Energy Productivity

Let's say that the energy input of a farm was 45000 MJ/hectare (megajoules per hectare), and the energy output was 130000 MJ/hectare. Calculate the productivity.

Productivity = energy output ÷ energy input.

Energy Productivity = 130000 ÷ 45000

Energy Productivity = 2.89

Worked Example: Energy Efficiency

Imagine that the energy input of a farm was 20000 MJ/hectare, and the energy output was 16500 MJ/hectare. Calculate the energy efficiency.

Efficiency = (useful energy output ÷ total energy input) x 100.

Energy Efficiency = (16500 ÷ 20000) x 100.

Energy Efficiency = 82.5%

Worked Example: Energy Subsidies of Different Foods

Not all foods are equal. Some require more energy to produce. Different foods also have different caloric densities (i.e. number of kilocalories per gram). Producing foods with a high calorie density and minimal energy input is a way of maximising agricultural productivity.

To calculate efficiency: (energy output ÷ energy input) x 100.

Which food has the highest energy efficiency?

Improving Agricultural Productivity

Farmers can boost their agricultural productivity through genetic manipulation and effective land use. You can find more information in the specialised articles, but for now, let's look at a summary.

Genetic Manipulation

Farmers can modify the genes of crops or livestock using technology. Methods include:

• Selective Breeding: breeding individuals with desirable characteristics for many generations

• Vegetative Propagation: 'cloning' a plant with desirable characteristics

• Genetic Engineering: introducing a gene from another organism that codes for a desired trait or characteristic

Effective Land Use

Farmers can maximise their land use by increasing their stocking density or crop density.

Stocking density is the number of livestock per unit of grazing area. Recommended stocking density usually depends on the size of the animal.

Figure 3: Increasing stocking density reduces land use. Source: unsplash.com

Crop density is the number of individual plants per unit of ground area. Increasing crop density can enhance agricultural productivity.

Monocultures

Monoculture plantations are large areas of land that contain just one variety of a single crop. There's almost no variation. Growing crops in monocultures is simple, efficient, and provides a high crop yield. However, their limited genetic diversity makes them highly susceptible to pests and diseases. To counteract this, farmers rely heavily on agrochemicals, which pollute the environment and affect natural pollinators.

I hope that this article has clarified agricultural productivity for you. Remember that agricultural productivity is the ratio of agricultural inputs to outputs. Maximising agricultural productivity increases food security, boosts farm income, and brings environmental benefits.

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^{7. Praveen Ghanta, List of Foods by Environmental Impact and Energy Efficiency, The Oil Drum, 2010}