Abstract
Much of the future quality of life will depend upon improved abilities to sustainably increase agricultural production while maintaining ecosystem services and supporting conservation of natural diversity. Some lessons for the future reside in an improved understanding of the factors that have contributed to increased agricultural productivity during recent past decades. Using US maize production as an example, we demonstrate the critical contributions of plant breeding using native maize germplasm and improved agronomic practices. We outline the policy instruments that condition successful plant breeding through determining access to plant genetic resources and by providing economic incentives for investment and innovation through intellectual property. Maximum progress in improving global agricultural production can only be made when potentially contradictory policies are implemented in a balanced fashion.
A previous version of this chapter was published under the same title in AgBioForum 18(3):297–302.
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
For the full list, please see http://www.upov.int/export/sites/upov/members/en/pdf/pub423.pdf
- 4.
See the list of parties at http://www.planttreaty.org/list_of_countries
References
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2009. How to feed the world 2050: Global agriculture toward 2050. High-level expert forum hosted by FAO’s Office of the Director, Agricultural Development Economics Division, October 12–13, Rome. Available at: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/wsfs/docs/Issues_papers/HLEF2050_Global_Agriculture.pdf
FAO. 2014. FAOSTAT Production Data [database]. Rome: Author. Available on the World Wide Web: http://faostat3.fao.org/faostat-gateway/go/to/browse/Q/*/E.
Foley, J.A., N. Ramankutty, K.A. Brauman, E.S. Cassidy, J.S. Gerber, M. Johnston, et al. 2011. Solutions for a Cultivated Planet. Nature 478 (7369): 337–342.
Malthus, T.R. 1798. An Essay on the Principle of Population, as it Affects The Future Improvement of Society with Remarks on the Speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and Other Writers. Oxford: Oxford Worlds Classic Reprint.
Smith, S., M. Cooper, J. Gogerty, C. Loffler, D. Borcherding, and K. Wright. 2014. Maize. In Yield Gains in Major U.S. Field Crops: CSSA Special Publication 33 (Chapter 6), ed. S. Smith, B. Diers, J. Specht, and B. Carver, 125–172. Madison: Crop Science Society of America (CSSA).
Tilman, D., C. Balzer, J. Hill, and B.L. Befort. 2011. Global Food Demand and The Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 108 (50): 20260–20264.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). 2013. Corn, Sorghum, Barley, and Oats: Planted Area, Harvested Acreage, Production, Yield, and Farm Price [database]. Washington, DC: Author.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). 1967. Convention Establishing The World Intellectual Property Organization. Geneva: Author. Available on the World Wide Web: http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/text.jsp?file_id=283854.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Smith, S., Kurtz, B. (2018). Why Do US Corn Yields Increase? The Contributions of Genetics, Agronomy, and Policy Instruments. In: Kalaitzandonakes, N., Carayannis, E., Grigoroudis, E., Rozakis, S. (eds) From Agriscience to Agribusiness. Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67958-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67958-7_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67957-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-67958-7
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)