The increase amount is debated but higher CO2 levels have caused significant gains in farming efficiency.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/study-finds-plant-growth-...
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/study-finds-plant-growth-...
I found the study: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/04/05/study-suggests-increa...
The article claims 30% increase in general (not just agricultural), but also does not attribute all that simply to more available CO2.
Your own claim is self-contradicting as you use arid environments as the basis for your claim. Agricultural environments where plants are irrigated are not arid, by definition.