Nature’s ‘double dividend’ from agricultural technology adoption

Efforts to promote the adoption of new and improved agricultural technologies often focus on increasing yields. This is for a good reason. There is a large and persistent gap in agricultural productivity between low-income countries, especially in Africa, and the rest of the world. For example, according to FAO Stat, maize yields in the United States reached 11.1 metric tons per hectare in 2019, while in countries within Africa, maize yields were only roughly 2.2 metric tons per hectare. Improving agricultural productivity helps reduce poverty and promote food security for local populations. But beyond such direct benefits, new and improved agricultural technologies can also generate benefits for nature and the local environment.

Two new studies demonstrate this “double dividend” enjoyed by nature from improving agricultural technologies and productivity—a key element of sustainable intensification. The studies evaluated the effects of an intervention in rice farming communities in Kwara State in western Nigeria, finding that the use of an improved form of urea fertilizer helped farmers eventually boost productivity and benefited the environment in two important ways.