Here is Norman Borlaug, father of the green revolution, from about a decade ago but highly relevant today:
Yields can still be increased by 50-100% in much of the Indian sub-Continent, Latin America, the former USSR and Eastern Europe, and by 100-200% in much of sub-Saharan Africa, providing political stability is maintained, bureaucracies that destroys entrepreneurial initiative are reigned in, and their researchers and extension workers devote more energy to putting science and technology to work at the farm level.... (Full Story at marginalrevolution)
Click to enlarge Graph
I would be interested to see the progress we have made over the past 10-20 years. Also, how much of that "Area Spared" is now being used for ethanol production. At any rate, its encouraging to see that we are continuing to get more efficient in food production (speaking strictly of plant matter of course).
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