I will be co-edting a special issue of Agronomy with colleagues Dr. Jessica Agnew and Prof. Tom Thompson, focused on Advanced Innovation for Improving Total Factor Productivity (TFP) in Agriculture. The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2023. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this special issue.

Special Issue Information

To sustainably meet global needs for agricultural products by 2050, agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) needs to grow by 1.73 percent annually. However, from 2011 to 2020, global TFP grew at an average of 1.12 percent per annum. Sub-Saharan Africa in particular is struggling to overcome negative TFP growth, and TFP growth is no longer the driver of increased agricultural output in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This Special Issue of Agronomy seeks to build the evidence base of cutting-edge innovation that increases TFP, particularly in the African, Latin American, Asian, and Caribbean contexts, and especially those designed for smallholder farmers. Technological innovation may include, but is not limited to, digital services, seed varieties, agronomic practices, or technological advances that will reduce the level of inputs considered in the calculation of TFP—land, labor, capital, and material resources.

Reviews, integrative studies, original studies, and conference papers are all welcome. Articles that consider TFP growth and the policy implications of advancing innovation for TFP growth are also of interest.