The influence of management characteristics on the technical efficiency of wheat farmers in eastern England

Technical efficiency of wheat farms in eastern England is measured through the estimation of a stochastic frontier production function using panel data for the 1993–1997 crop years. Variations in the technical efficiency index across production units are explained through a number of managerial and farm characteristic variables following Battese and Coelli (1995) [Empirical Econ. 20, 325–332] and incorporating the spirit of Rougoor et al. (1998) [Agric. Econ. 18, 261–272]. The technical efficiency index across production units ranges from 62 to 98%. The objectives of maximising annual profits and maintaining the environment are positively correlated with, and have the largest influence on, technical efficiency. Moreover, those farmers who seek information, have more years of managerial experience, and have a large farm are also associated with higher levels of technical efficiency. Future studies that seek to explain variation in technical efficiency should include further aspects of the managerial decision‐making process.     

基于DEA-Tobit模型的马铃薯生产效率分析——以甘肃省定西市为例

随着社会的进步和农村经济的发展,农业生产效率已成为制约农民收入、造成农村落后的关键因素。中国是马铃薯的生产大国,其生产效率的提高对我国马铃薯产业的持续发展和保障我国的粮食安全有着很重要的意义。研究基于2014年对甘肃省定西市样本农户马铃薯种植的调查数据,采用DEA模型测算农户种植马铃薯的生产效率,并利用Tobit模型对影响马铃薯生产效率的因素进行分析。研究表明:农户生产马铃薯的综合技术效率较低,规模效率成为制约其生产效率提升的瓶颈;家庭纯收入、马铃薯的种植比例和引进新品种3个变量在0.01水平下对生产效率的影响达到显著;户主的年纪在0.05水平下对生产效率的影响达到显著;马铃薯的收购价格、农户是否参加合作社和种植培训、离农贸市场距离与马铃薯的生产效率间存在不显著的正相关关系。基于以上调研提出了鼓励土地流转、提高生产技术水平、加大农民生产技能培训力度、多方面增加农民收入和合理布局农产品贸易市场等政策性建议。     

Diversification economies and specialisation efficiencies in a mixed food and coffee smallholder farming system in Papua New Guinea

Smallholder farming systems in Papua New Guinea are characterised by an integrated set of cash cropping and subsistence food cropping activities. In the Highlands provinces, the subsistence food crop sub-system is dominated by sweet potato production. Coffee dominates the cash cropping sub-system, but a limited number of food crops are also grown for cash sale. The dynamics between sub-systems can influence the scope for complementarity between, and technical efficiency of, their operations, especially in light of the seasonality of demand for household labour and management inputs within the farming system. A crucial element of these dynamic processes is diversification into commercial agricultural production, which can influence factor productivity and the efficiency of crop production where smallholders maintain a strong production base in subsistence foods.
In this study we use survey data from households engaged in coffee and food crop production in the Benabena district of Eastern Highlands Province to derive technical efficiency indices for each household over two years. A stochastic input distance function approach is used to establish whether diversification economies exist and whether specialisation in coffee, subsistence food or cash food production significantly influences technical efficiency on the sampled smallholdings.
Diversification economies are weakly evident between subsistence food production and both coffee and cash food production, but diseconomies of diversification are discerned between coffee and cash food production. A number of factors are tested for their effects on technical efficiency. Significant technical efficiency gains are made from diversification among broad cropping enterprises.     

中国马铃薯产业国际比较分析

[目的]马铃薯是粮菜兼用作物,马铃薯对国家粮食安全和山地丘陵地区乡村特色产业构建具有重要支撑作用。文章通过马铃薯产业国际对比分析,明确我国马铃薯产业发展的比较优势和比较劣势,并提出相关对策建议。[方法]该文从产业结构、生产成本、市场价格、贸易、消费等多角度,运用比较分析法,采用2010—2018年统计数据,对我国与世界其他大国马铃薯产业进行定量比较分析。[结果](1)2018年我国马铃薯具有一定国际竞争力,生产规模世界第一,产业结构以种植业为主体,加工业占比仅为30.00%,仅为欧美的1/3左右;(2) 2015年我国马铃薯生产成本0.95元/kg,2018年我国马铃薯田间价格为1.30元/kg,与欧美基本持平,2011—2015年平均资本利润率32.12%,略高于欧美发达地区,但2018年马铃薯单产19.72t/hm~2,仅为欧美的1/2左右,土地产出率为2.55万元/hm~2,仅为欧美发达地区的1/2;(3)2018年马铃薯出口稳定增长,以附加值较低的鲜薯为主,国际市场占有率2.04%;(4) 2018年马铃薯人均消费量43.62kg,不及俄罗斯的1/2,消费增长潜力较大,且亚洲马铃薯以鲜薯菜用消费为主,欧美地区以马铃薯加工品消费为主,俄罗斯将马铃薯作为主食消费。[结论]应从品种资源引进、马铃薯品种选育、标准薯田建设、国际马铃薯市场开拓和加大马铃薯产业扶持力度等方面着手,促进我国马铃薯产业健康发展。     

马铃薯中长期供求平衡研究

文章首先根据1982~2012年的马铃薯产量和消费量的数据,对马铃薯生产和消费的长期趋势及其结构进行了分析:1982~2011年,马铃薯总产量和总消费量基本保持同步变化,除2006年总产量超过总消费量1 885万t之外,其余年份总产量和总消费量的差额都在250万t之内,从比例上看,供求缺口在多数年份不到总产量或总消费量的3%,我国马铃薯基本是国内自产自销,进出口的总量都不大。其次,对1982~2012年马铃薯总产量、总消费量数据做自相关与偏自相关分析,并做一阶差分,采用传统时间序列分析和移动平均(ARMA)模型相结合,建立马铃薯总产量和总消费量的时间序列模型;进而采用时间序列模型,对马铃薯的中长期生产和消费进行了预测:马铃薯供给基本平衡,供给略大于需求,供求之间的差额占总量的比例非常小,约为2%。2020年,马铃薯总消费量为1.0 900亿t,马铃薯总产量为1.1 125亿t,供给大于需求225万t;2030年,马铃薯的总产量为1.3 585亿t,马铃薯的总消费量为1.3 280亿t,供给大于需求305万t。     

我国马铃薯生产格局变化特征及原因分析

[目的]在马铃薯主粮化战略提出和马铃薯产业需求快速增长的背景下,研究我国马铃薯生产、消费情况,剖析马铃薯生产格局变化特征及影响因素,为优化马铃薯生产布局提出建议。[方法]利用2000年以来全国及分省马铃薯生产、消费数据,通过统计描述和对比分析对马铃薯生产形势从总量特征和区域特征两方面进行分析,计算单产和种植面积贡献率,并且从成本收益角度对马铃薯生产格局变动及优化布局作出解释。[结果]我国马铃薯种植面积从2000年的472. 3万hm2增加到2015年的551. 8万hm2,马铃薯产量从2000年的1 325. 5万t增长至2015年的1 897. 2万t。在这个过程中,马铃薯生产集中度不断提高,区域布局进一步优化,其中西南混作区逐渐成为马铃薯优势产区。[结论]马铃薯生产格局的变化既有消费需求的拉动,也有国家产业政策的支持,另外收益驱动和资源比较优势的发挥也是推动马铃薯生产格局变化的重要原因。未来为进一步促进马铃薯生产的健康发展,应重点结合各区域环境资源优势进行区域规划、降低脱毒种薯成本并加大良种推广力度。     

天祝县民族地区特色农作物比较优势实证分析

文章采用规模比较优势指数、单产比较优势指数以及综合比较优势指数等方法,对天祝县2003~2012年种植面积较大且地域特色明显的3种主要农作物比较优势进行了横向和纵向比较,并与市内其余县域进行了差异比较分析,以期掌握天祝县主要农作物比较优势状况以及发展变化趋势。结果表明:天祝县马铃薯和油菜具有明显的比较优势,且优势十分明显,可以大力发展;蔬菜作为天祝县一个具有后发优势的产业,规模比较优势明显,单产比较优势和综合比较优势接近于1,具有潜在的发展潜力。建议天祝县特色农作物的发展,要紧紧抓住国家支持藏区建设和建立丝绸之路新经济带的历史机遇,抓住天祝县被列为全国北方油菜优势区和西北马铃薯优势产区的有力契机,走稳定规模优势、扩大产量优势、强化产品质量的良性循环发展之路。同时,要根据天祝县优势农作物产区属于复合型区域的特点,协调各种优势作物的种植规模,形成资源和要素配置合理的配置,在产业发展中要充分发挥高原气候资源优势,全面提高优势农作物的生产效率和产品质量,以实现民族地区特色农业产业健康可持续发展。     

Women rule: potato markets,cellular phones and access to information in the Bolivian highlands

In highland Bolivia, potato markets are widespread and access to market information has entered the digital age. Information networks lubricated by ubiquitous cellular technologies are supplanting traditional means of information‐gathering. We explore the impacts of access to cellular phones on market selection, use of social networks to acquire information, and gendered responsibilities within the potato market chain near Cochabamba. The entire family participates in potato production and marketing, but responsibilities are differentiated by gender. Men take a leading role in potato production and women in marketing. Access to cellular phones affects decisions about where to market potatoes and improves the potato marketing process.     

我国马铃薯全要素生产率比较及空间集聚研究

[目的]马铃薯主粮化已成为我国第四次主粮革命的新趋势,我国马铃薯产业具有良好的产能基础,种植面积和总产量均居全球第一,但单产低于世界平均水平,且产业发展面临诸如加工能力低、经营模式落后、产业布局不合理的现实问题,为实现我国主粮多元化需要加快马铃薯产业转型升级。[方法]文章运用DEA-Malmquist指数测度2011—2016年我国马铃薯16个主产区的生产效率和全要素生产率水平,利用Moran's I分析全要素生产率变化的空间自相关性及动态变化。[结果]马铃薯产业整体技术效率偏低且区域发展水平不均衡;逐渐从技术进步转变到更加注重提高技术效率且主导因素存在区域性差异;形成了自成一体的"新区"、南北连通的"西区"和强强联手的"北区"三大集聚区。[结论]马铃薯产业区域性明显,打破地理界线跨地区发展是未来产业发展的方向,最后从技术效率提升、区域产业布局、市场对接等方面对我国马铃薯产业优化调整提出了对策建议。     

Women’s Labour Contribution to Productivity and Efficiency in Agriculture: Empirical Evidence From Bangladesh

This article examines the contribution of women’s labour input to productivity and efficiency in crop farming using a large survey dataset of 1,839 households from 16 villages in two agro‐ecological regions of Bangladesh. Results reveal that female labour accounts for a substantial 28% of total labour use (mainly supplied from the family) and contributes significantly to productivity as well as technical efficiency. Contrary to expectation, the cost share of female labour input is significantly higher than the male share, and has a substitution relationship with all other inputs, including male labour. The estimated mean level of technical efficiency is 0.90, implying that crop output might be increased by 10% by eliminating technical inefficiency. Both male and female education have a significant impact on improving technical efficiency. Other significant technical efficiency shifters are farming experience, family size and crop diversification. Owner operators are found to be technically inefficient relative to the tenants. Policy implications include creation of a hired labour market for female labour so that more women can be involved in the production process, and can contribute to towards improving productivity and efficiency. In addition, investment in education for both men and women, strategies to promote crop diversification and effective regulation/modification of the tenancy market will significantly improve technical efficiency in this case.     

Levelling the playing field for European Union agriculture: Does the Common Agricultural Policy impact homogeneously on farm productivity and efficiency?

Originally conceived as a post-war policy vehicle for ensuring agricultural self-sufficiency, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has evolved into a multifunctional instrument designed to satisfy a diverse portfolio of European Union (EU) policy objectives including nature protection. Notwithstanding, whilst the CAP has become more environmental and socially responsible, it is still expected to deliver an efficient farm production system capable of competing on world markets. The current paper combines a farm business panel dataset for 98 EU territories with a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) approach, to assess the impact of four contemporary broad categories of CAP subsidy programs on efficiency and environmental sustainability. In accordance with the literature, this study more correctly defines inputs as “facilitating”, whilst following recent methodological developments, crop-subsidies are treated as an endogenous strategic variable in the production function. Comparing between two discrete time periods, further tests are conducted to examine the hypothesis of technical efficiency convergence across european territories. The results suggest that first pillar crop subsidies and pillar two environmental programs generate a disincentive effect on productivity, whilst in general, the CAP promotes technical efficiency convergence within Europe.     

Assessing Technical Efficiency of Québec Dairy Farms

The purpose of this paper is twofold. Our first objective is to measure the level of technical efficiency of Québec dairy farms. Our second objective is to gauge the robustness of our results with respect to the selection of a functional form and of a distribution for the inefficiency index. We estimate efficiency frontiers for Cobb-Douglas (C-D), translogarithmic (TL) and generalized Leontief (GL) production functions with half-normal, truncated normal and exponential distributions. Our results, based on likelihood dominance criterion (LDC) indicate that the GL production technology dominates the other two functional forms, and this ranking is robust to changes in the distribution of the inefficiency index. Efficiency scores and ranks are highly correlated for all the functional forms and distributions. The differences in the mean levels of efficiency are statistically significant across functional forms and distributions, although the magnitude of the difference is minuscule. The very high mean level of efficiency and the low standard deviation confirms that Québec dairy farms are very homogenous in terms of getting the most from their inputs. This is not surprising, given that the sector has been very stable policywise and that it has been difficult for dairy farmers to expand. To augment the comparisons, results obtained from data envelopment analysis (DEA), are added to the analysis. In this case, the correlation coefficients between DEA and parametric specifications are found to be very low.     

Productivity and efficiency impact of climate change and agroecology on Bangladesh agriculture

The paper estimates the impacts of climate change, agroecological and socio-economic characteristics on agricultural productivity and efficiency changes in Bangladesh agriculture using a rich panel dataset of 17 regions covering a period of 61-years (1948–2008). Results revealed that land has the most dominant role in increasing agricultural production followed by labour and irrigation. The contribution of non-cereal crops (i.e., potatoes, pulses, oilseeds, jute and cash crops) to total production are also significant, ranging from 2 to 8% per annum. An increase in annual-rainfall and long-term-temperature (LTT) significantly enhance production. Production is significantly higher in floodplain agroecologies. However, production efficiency fluctuated sharply and declined overtime. The mean efficiency score of 0.74 implies substantial room to improve production by resource reallocation. Average farm size, crop specialization and investment in R&D significantly improve efficiency whereas increases in annual temperature-variability and LTT significantly reduce efficiency. Efficiency is significantly lower in low-lying floodplain and coastal-plain agroecologies. Policy implications include investments in diversifying cropping portfolio into other cereals (i.e., wheat and maize), research to develop crop varieties suited to changing climatic conditions and specific agroecological regions, and land/tenurial reforms to consolidate farm size to enhance productivity and efficiency of Bangladesh agriculture.     

Forecasting Japan's Frozen Potato Imports

THe U.S. potato industry is the main supplier of frozen potatoes to a rapidly growing Japanese food service market. A two-stage budgeting procedure was employed to estimate total Japanese imports of frozen potatoes and imports by country of origin. Japanese demand for frozen potatoes was found to be own-price inelastic and income elastic. The complementary relationship between hamburger and frozen potatoes suggests that replacement of tariffs for beef import quotas will impact the Japanese potato market. Imports from the United States are expected to increase substantially and remain in constant proportion to total imports.     

Technical Efficiency and Farmers' Attitudes toward Technological Innovation: The Case of the Potato Farmers in Quebec

The research reported in this paper uses a deterministic statistical frontier production function to estimate the Quebec potato farmers' technical efficiency. Also, the relationship between technical efficiency and conservation technologies adoption is estimated. Results show that the average potato farm is 80% efficient, implying that some improvements in technical efficiency are still possible. In addition, farming experience and the adoption of conservation technologies are both significant variables for improving technical efficiency. Furthermore, efficient farmers are more likely than others to invest in conservation practices.
Cette recherche utilise une fonction de production frontière déterministe pour: i) estimer I'efficacité technique des producteurs de pommes de terre du Quebec et ii) établir la relation entre cette efficacité et la velléité des producteurs à adopter des technologies et des pratiques culturales conservatrices de l'environnement. Les résultats montrent qu'en moyenne, les producteurs de pommes de terre du Québec sont efficace à 80%. Ceci signifie qu'une amélioration du niveau d'efficacité technique demeurepossible. De plus, I'expérience agricole et I'adoption de technologies conservatrices de I'environnement se sont avérées des variables significatives pour expliquer les différences des niveaux d'efficacité technique des fermes. Par ailleurs, les fermiers efficaces semblent plus portés que les autres à investir dans technologies et des pratiques culturales conservatrices de I'environnement.     

Canadian consumer acceptance of gene-edited versus genetically modified potatoes: A choice experiment approach

In 2016, second-generation genetically modified (GM) potatoes were approved for production and sale in Canada. In this study, we analyze how consumer acceptance of GM potatoes may be affected by various factors, including the trait introduced (i.e., the product benefits), the type of breeding technology used, and the developer of the potato using any technology. We conduct an online survey and use a stated choice experiment to collect data on consumer acceptance of GM and other potatoes in Canada. Random utility models are used to analyze the economic value consumers place on the various attributes of the potatoes. Our results show that consumers are willing to pay more for a health attribute (reduced acrylamide produced when potatoes are fried) and an environmental attribute. Respondents in general need to face discounted prices to buy potatoes created by either gene editing or GM (either transgenic or cisgenic/intragenic) technologies. However, consumers are in general more accepting of the gene editing technology than the GM technologies. Our results also show that government is the most preferred developer of the potatoes, regardless of technology. Results from this study can help guide public and private management of the introduction of new foods when the products are developed with unpopular technologies.     

A DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING MODEL OF EARLY POTATO HARVESTING

A vegetable producer often faces complex harvest decisions where yield increases through time and varies across crop area, price is determined in erratic seasonal markets, and harvest rate is constrained. In this paper, a simplified two-period potato harvest problem is developed to define a set of marginal conditions for an optimum. The model is then extended to the multi-period case and numerical solutions are generated for a representative farm in South Wales using dynamic programming. The model provides a general framework for analysing crop harvesting systems and prescribing marginal changes, such as adjustments in the harvest capacity, which improve profitability over myopic harvest patterns.     

Finding optimal price risk management instruments: the case of the Spanish potato sector

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the problem of choosing between alternative market risk management instruments. We model farmers' behavior to optimize the certainty equivalent, formulated by a mean–variance model, by combining instruments with and without basis risk. Results are expressed as the demands for hedging with futures, forward contracts and insurance. Theoretical results are applied to a selection of Spanish producers of fresh potatoes, a sector that is exposed to significant market risks. Amsterdam's Euronext provides potato futures prices, and the recently launched revenue insurance in Spain provides the example for price insurance. Three conclusions summarize the article's main findings. First, we show that Spanish potato revenue insurance subsidies are a factor that determines the instrument rankings and choice. Second, the efficiency of insurance subsidies is generally low. Finally, the Amsterdam potato futures market does not provide a cost‐effective means to manage price risks for Spanish fresh potato growers.     

中国马铃薯生产区域比较优势及其影响因素分析

[目的]基于我国马铃薯总产高、单产低的现状,在推进马铃薯主粮化的战略背景下,优化马铃薯生产布局和马铃薯生产资源配置,提高马铃薯生产效率。[方法]文章对全国范围内马铃薯生产区域的比较优势进行研究。在国内外现有研究的基础上,通过对2006~2015年时间序列数据进行分析,运用综合比较优势指数分析的方法,从效率优势、规模优势和综合优势3个方面对我国各主产省份的马铃薯进行生产优势差异分析。[结果]效率比较优势方面:相比全国平均水平,甘肃、黑龙江、辽宁、青海、新疆、云南、四川、重庆、西藏、江西、福建和广东有明显优势;规模比较优势方面:相比全国平均水平,甘肃、内蒙古、陕西、山西、宁夏、青海、云南、四川、贵州、重庆、福建有明显优势;综合比较优势方面:相比全国平均水平,甘肃、内蒙古、陕西、宁夏、青海、云南、四川、贵州、重庆、福建有明显优势。最后,从自然因素、科技因素、市场因素、政策因素等方面分析了我国马铃薯生产区域比较优势差异的原因。[结论]提出通过调整马铃薯种植区域分布、完善马铃薯市场体制、加大新品种和技术推广力度等建议来提高马铃薯生产区域的比较优势。