Sustainable Intensification in agriculture? A global assessment

Abstract. A growing population leads to rising food demand, which requires a substantial increase in food supply. However, agricultural production is often an important driver of environmental problems. The ”Sustainable Intensifica- tion” (SI) paradigm envisions the process of increasing production from existing farmland while minimizing pressure on the environment. This paper quantita- tively assesses the global progress towards SI for the period 1961−2014, using an environmental Total Factor Productivity (TFP) index that incorporates green- house gas emission. Although the environmental TFP index increases in this period, there is substantial heterogeneity.