FOOD SYSTEM TRENDS:BROAD PROGRESS; PERSISTENT PROBLEMS

ROBERT PAARLBERGHARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 1, 2017ROBERT_PAARLBERG@HKS.HARVARD.EDU

http://conversableeconomist.blogspot.com/2012/10/can-agricultural-productivity-keep.html

FERTILIZER USE Kg/Ha of arable land

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

WorldSSAfricaTanzania

Source: World Bank

WHY DOES AFRICA LAG?

• Poor resource endowment?

• Political instability and civil war?

• Globalization, MNCs, and Land Grabs?

• Government neglect of countryside?

Slide is courtesy of Prabhu Pingali, Greg Traxler and Tuu-Van Nguyen (2011), “Changing Trends in the Demand and Supply of Aid for Agriculture Development and the Quest for Coordination,” at the AAEA, July 24–26, 2011.

FAILURE TO MEET CAADP SPENDING TARGET

TRENDS IN OBESITY PREVALENCE