Jacob riffs on the (pointless) opposition of policy and agriculture, with suggestions about the kind of agricultural research that is needed.
The point for agricultural research is that it is not enough to focus only on boosting output. Research choices have implications for access to food. For instance, in many cases breeding for small-scale producers (who consume most of what they grow) may be more effective for food security than breeding for commercial agriculture, even though the latter may be more effective in terms of productivity gains.