Agriculture Insights

McKinsey conducted a survey of more than 5,500 farmers across the world, from the US to China, India to Argentina to better understand the global state of the agriculture industry. With the world reaching for climate targets and decarbonization, whilst simultaneously struggling with geopolitical conflicts, pricing volatility, and unsteady supply chains, farmers are facing the changes head on. While macro views on profitability opportunities and risks are similar across regions, agricultural trends and starting points for innovation, new technologies, and sustainability practices are largely regional. Our data captures the global voice on the state of agriculture, sharing perspectives on the current themes that are shaping farming operations and considerations for future improvements, from new technologies to more sustainable practices.

For the third year in a row, McKinsey has set out to better understand the global state of agriculture, gathering opinions and perspectives from more than 5,600 farmers around the world, ~750 in Brazil. The planet has been—and continues to be—rocked by volatile forces, and farmers have not escaped their effects. As COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have been lifted and the world has faced both new geopolitical conflicts and continued supply chain difficulties, farmers have responded with a variety of strategies. From reflections on sustainable farming practices to perspectives on financing and new technologies, our data captures snapshots of where Brazilian farmers stand this year, how their perspectives have changed since years past, and what they expect the future will bring.