Daybreak Jan. 26: World Bank: Repurpose subsidies to address climate, boost production (Agri-Pulse) 

Agri-Pulse published an article on the new IFPRI & World Bank report, ‘Repurposing agricultural policies and support: options to transform agriculture and food systems for better health of people, economies and planet.‘ The report, which was done in conjunction with IFPRI, warns that simply using subsidies to increase the use of environmentally friendly practices could actually reduce food production. The key, according to the World Bank and IFPRI economists, is to target subsidies toward innovations that can both increase production and reduce emissions. Repurposing some government farm spending to “develop and disseminate more emission-efficient technologies” could raise productivity by 30 percent while reducing overall ag emissions by more than40%, the report says. Such an increase in productivity would also mean 2 percent less land is needed for agriculture globally, the report says.