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Description
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Agriculture is a critical part of many Asian economies. This report provides a timely, updated overview of how agricultural productivity has changed over time, via a comprehensive broad-scope analysis across 143 countries, including 18 APO members, using 61 years (1961– 2021) of harmonized data from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Bank. It details trends in employment and drivers of growth in agriculture worldwide, as well as the current status of agricultural productivity measurement and analysis, along with recommendations for their improvement in Asia. The main challenge in monitoring agricultural productivity changes lies in collecting accurate data. Thus, analysts must carefully define the level of analysis, variables involved in agriculture, variables of interest, and country-specific policy recommendations to support policy making. Key recommendations include focusing on improving farm-level data collection through collaboration with experienced statistical agencies and the use of primary and secondary data to measure and analyze measures of partial factor productivity and total factor productivity at the farm level. These insights aim to support APO members in strengthening their agricultural systems. |
