Modeling and measuring productivity in the agri-food sector: Trends, causes and effects

This article overviews recent trends in modeling and measuring productivity patterns, and in distinguishing their determinants and implications, for t he agri-food sector. Theoretical methodologies as well as empirical impleme ntation and results are discussed, with a view toward identifying those wit h potential for facilitating understanding of productivity measures, and ul timately using them for policy guidance. Productivity growth evidence for t he food systems of the U.S. Canada and the U.K is summarized, and recent st udies distinguishing underlying causes of production structure patterns and linking them with market-structure patterns are reviewed, as a basis for a ssessing the key messages from and trends in this literature.