Crop yields and labour productivity have increased markedly over the past 70 years. In agriculturally advanced countries, increases in labour productivity – that is, increases in the economic output per unit of labour input – have been several-fold greater than corresponding increases in yield. The gap in labour productivity between the Global North and the Global South is now much greater than the yield gap. This large labour productivity gap, unless remedied, will: (i) condemn many farmers in the Global South to live in poverty; and (ii) make them less competitive and force them to follow the well-established trend of exiting farming altogether, which (iii) will contribute to greater dependence on imported food in many countries.

Despite this situation, agricultural development agencies tend to emphasise biological yield per unit area to satisfy the increasing demand for more nutritious and varied food products. Policies are skewed towards low-cost food for urbanites, often with benign neglect of the welfare of the rural populace, particularly the women who produce the food.

We suggest R&D policies should pay more attention to enhanced labour productivity, while not neglecting increased yield, to meet the dual needs of food for the overall population and prosperity in rural areas. Many technology-based interventions exist to increase labour productivity, nevertheless, single technological fixes are unlikely to bring about major changes. Furthermore, the adoption of new technologies and novel enterprises required to increase labour productivity, particularly those related to high value crops for farmers with limited access to land, depends on an inclusive innovation systems approach. Policies are needed that support the development of new enterprises, soft infrastructure, a stronger industrial base and inclusive partnerships with education providers such as universities, research centres, secondary and tertiary education facilities. This is not to say that producers in the Global South should follow the Global North, rather that policy should focus on interventions that improve labour productivity of both women and men tailored to enhance ongoing development within the local context.

过去 70 年来，作物产量和劳动生产率显着提高。在农业发达的国家，劳动生产率的提高——即每单位劳动投入的经济产出的增长——比相应的产量增长高出几倍。全球北方和南方之间的劳动生产率差距现在远大于产量差距。这种巨大的劳动生产率差距，除非得到纠正，否则将： (i) 使全球南方的许多农民生活在贫困中；(ii) 降低它们的竞争力并迫使它们完全退出农业的既定趋势，(iii) 将导致许多国家对进口食品的依赖程度更高。

尽管如此，农业发展机构还是倾向于强调单位面积的生物产量，以满足对更有营养和多样化食品日益增长的需求。政策倾向于为城市居民提供低成本食品，往往善意忽视农村民众的福利，尤其是生产食品的妇女。

我们建议研发政策应更加注重提高劳动生产率，同时不能忽视提高产量，以满足总体人口粮食和农村繁荣的双重需求。存在许多基于技术的干预措施来提高劳动生产率，然而，单一的技术修复不太可能带来重大变化。此外，提高劳动生产率所需的新技术和新企业的采用，特别是那些与土地有限的农民的高价值作物相关的技术，取决于包容性创新系统方法。需要支持发展新企业、软基础设施、更强大的工业基础以及与教育提供者（如大学、研究中心、中等和高等教育设施。这并不是说全球南方的生产者应该追随全球北方，而是说政策应该侧重于提高女性和男性劳动生产率的干预措施，以促进当地环境中的持续发展。