The 2026 GAP Report, Regenerative Agriculture, and Ag Drones
On October 2, the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Initiative at Virginia Tech released its 2026 GAP Report, Restarting Growth: The Role of Regenerative Agriculture in Productivity Growth and Profitability. Alongside this year’s report, the Initiative unveiled GAP IQ, a new open-access data platform that presents global agricultural productivity data in a comprehensive and accessible manner. Congratulations to Dr. Jess Agnew, Director of the GAP Initiative, Dr. Chellie Maples, and the entire GAP team for the comprehensive and accessible report!
This year’s report focuses on regenerative agriculture and total factor productivity (TFP), the ratio of agricultural outputs to inputs. TFP is not the same as yield. Yields can rise just because farmers apply more inputs, but more inputs means more costs. TFP rises only when farmers produce more with the same or less land, labor, fertilizer, and machinery. That is why the GAP Report matters in world agricultural policy: it measures whether agriculture is getting more efficient or just more expensive.
GAP IQ, built with Google Public Sector and Appnovation, puts six decades of global agricultural data in one place, where users can compare countries and regions, build visualizations, download data, and model how investment and policy choices could affect productivity
The 2026 Diagnosis: Paying More for the Same Harvest
The report’s headline finding is sobering. Global TFP growth averaged just 0.63% a year over the past decade, the lowest rate since the 1970s. Meeting future demand requires 2.10% a year through 2050, nearly four times the current pace. Executive editor Tom Thompson said the system is "buying its output growth rather than earning it," with producers taking on more input cost and risk for the same result. Farmers already know their margins are thin. This report explains to policymakers why.
The report looks at regenerative practices, including reduced and no-till, cover cropping, nutrient management, and adaptive grazing. It treats them as one strategy for three problems usually handled separately: stalled productivity, thin margins, and long-run sustainability. The report is also honest about the evidence: no current study directly measures the TFP growth that comes from adopting regenerative practices. Its prescription rests on five essentials: measurement systems, localized decision tools, extension support, transition finance, and outcome-based frameworks used where they fit.
Ag Drones in the Frame
ADI is grateful to the GAP team for including our inset on agricultural drones in this year's report, (and a picture of Madison Dixon’s drones running at the Agricultural Autonomy Institute at Mississippi State University!). Agricultural drones fit the report's thesis directly. They can assess and respond to fertilizer, pesticide, and irrigation needs in real time with meter-level accuracy. Paired with other monitoring tools, agricultural drones can catch disease pressure days or weeks before visible symptoms appear, and treat it with fewer inputs. Further, shifting to full-service drone treatment eliminates drive rows and, if variable rate fertilizer is used, cut inputs by over 30%. Agricultural drones create TFP growth in its plainest form: more output from the same land, with fewer inputs and lower costs.
To realize agricultural drones’ full potential, across America and around the world, we need four things:
agronomic data validated in the field
standardized application protocols
reliable connectivity
measurement systems that link drone adoption to productivity and profitability outcomes
Institutions like Mississippi State, University of Maryland, and Virginia Tech (and many more!) are doing that work. ADI is pressing state and federal governments to unlock research funding and lower the barriers to adoption.
The GAP Report gives the world a scoreboard, and GAP IQ gives decision-makers a playbook. Our job is to make sure agricultural drones are part of the effort. Our thanks again to Dr. Agnew, Dr. Maples, and the GAP team.