The yield gap of global grain production: A spatial analysis |
| |
Authors: | Kathleen Neumann Peter H. Verburg |
| |
Affiliation: | a Land Dynamics Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands b Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands c Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), P.O. Box 303, 3720 AH Bilthoven, The Netherlands d Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegrafenberg, P.O. Box 601203, 14412 Potsdam, Germany |
| |
Abstract: | Global grain production has increased dramatically during the past 50 years, mainly as a consequence of intensified land management and introduction of new technologies. For the future, a strong increase in grain demand is expected, which may be fulfilled by further agricultural intensification rather than expansion of agricultural area. Little is known, however, about the global potential for intensification and its constraints. In the presented study, we analyze to what extent the available spatially explicit global biophysical and land management-related data are able to explain the yield gap of global grain production. We combined an econometric approach with spatial analysis to explore the maximum attainable yield, yield gap, and efficiencies of wheat, maize, and rice production. Results show that the actual grain yield in some regions is already approximating its maximum possible yields while other regions show large yield gaps and therefore tentative larger potential for intensification. Differences in grain production efficiencies are significantly correlated with irrigation, accessibility, market influence, agricultural labor, and slope. Results of regional analysis show, however, that the individual contribution of these factors to explaining production efficiencies strongly varies between world-regions. |
| |
Keywords: | Grain production Yield gap Land management Intensification Inefficiency Frontier analysis |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|