The return of the Black Sea region as the breadbasket of the world is really a story about productivity gain. Over a decade (2008 to 2017), both China and Indonesia increased their total crop output by around 25 percent, but they did this in part by expanding their cropped areas by 10.7 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively. By contrast, Ukraine increased its output by 48 percent with a less than one percent expansion in area, and Russia boosted its output by 26 percent while shrinking its cropland footprint by a small fraction.  Canada is another standout story, having boosted output by 22.5 percent while reducing land use by almost one percent. Canada and the Black Sea may also have benefited the most from the atmospheric warming o...

TAGS – Feed Grains, Soy & Oilseeds, Wheat, Asia, Black Sea, North America, South America