Technologies for sustainable intensification of crop and animal agriculture benefit from advances in genomics and systems biology and are poised to raise productivity. However, the development of appropriate technologies to improve productivity does not automatically result in benefits for smallholder farmers in the developing world. Large scale adoption of new agricultural technologies requires that research and development organizations address the social, economic and environmental pillars that determine farmer’s adoption and benefit. Private sector investment in crop and animal improvement for smallholder agriculture in developing countries represents a significant opportunity if appropriate business models or public-private partnerships can be developed.
Women farmers contribute up to 60% of labor on farms in sub-Saharan Africa. The needs and preferences of women famers must be incorporated into meaningful plans for technology adoption. Agricultural research and investment have been described as “unreasonably effective” in promoting inclusive economic growth and reversing environmental degradation. While this is true, research capacity to support sustainable intensification in the developing world is limited and characterized by a lack of incentives for developed world scientists, fragmented and fickle funding for international crop improvement centers and limited scientific capacity in the national programs of developing countries. Recent development of agricultural research capacity in Brazil and China provides insight into a workable path for the development of agricultural research infrastructure to address sustainable intensification in the developing world.