The Technical and Price Efficiency of Fertiliser use in Irrigated Rice Production

Rapid growth in chemical fertiliser use has been key to Indonesia's rice production increase during the past two decades. Very high fertiliser application rates in the country's major irrigated rice areas prompt concerns about technical and economic inefficiency, as well as possible adverse environmental impacts, particularly since fertiliser subsidies constitute a significant financial burden to the government. A 1989 national farm cost survey shows that rates of nitrogen and phosphorus use in wide areas of Java and Bali, and in some parts of Sumatra, are often far higher than those recommended by agronomists both in Indonesia and in similar Asian countries. The analysis indicates that fertiliser rates presently exceed profit maximising levels on much of Java, leading to a net financial loss estimated at over $29 million annually. More intensive extension efforts and changes in pricing strategy are proposed to improve technical and economic efficiency.     

Technical Efficiency Measures and Its Determinants for Olive Producing Farms in Tunisia: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

Abstract: This paper investigates farm level technical efficiency of production and its determinants in a sample of 178 olive producing farms in Tunisia using a stochastic frontier production function approach applied to cross‐section data. Results indicate that technical efficiency of production in the sample of olive producing farms investigated ranges from a minimum of 58.5 per cent to a maximum of 95.5 per cent with an average technical efficiency estimate of 82 per cent. This suggests that olive producers may increase their production by as much as 18 per cent through more efficient use of production inputs. Further, the estimated coefficients in the technical inefficiency model indicate the positive effect on technical efficiency of the share of productive trees, the share of skilled labour and agricultural training. However, a negative relationship between technical efficiency and fruit trees is found.     

中国粮食生产的非线性随机前沿面和技术效率研究

本文引入半参数和完全非参数随机前沿模型,克服模型设定误差,利用局部线性估计方法,由1978-2012年间中国30个省市区的面板数据,对改革开放以来我国粮食生产随机前沿面和技术效率进行半参数和非参数模型估计和测算.估计结果表明,时间和省区效应非参数模型估计的拟合优度高,不合其它模型(参数和半参数模型)估计中出现的伪非效率现象,可以较全面地反映中国粮食生产随机前沿面非线性特征和技术效率的时变特征.非参数模型的估计结果显示,劳动力和农业机械动力的平均产出弹性为负,但不显著;播种面积和化肥使用量的平均产出弹性显著为正.技术效率影响因素Tobit模型的估计分析表明,我国粮食生产技术效率的时间效应关于连续型影响因素变量具有显著的权变效应,这些因素对技术效率的边际影响也具有显著的时间效应.     

Nonparametric Evaluation of Economies of Scope in the Context of Technical Efficiency: The Case of Rice and Vegetable Farms in Korea

This paper provides a nonparametric evaluation of economies of scope in the context of technical efficiency allowing for non‐convexity, with an application to Korean rice and vegetable farms. Relying on non‐parametric‐free disposal hull and data envelopment analysis approaches and input–output data for rice and vegetable farms from the Korea Farm Household Economy Survey data collected in 2007, this article examines technical inefficiency and its decomposition under non‐convexity and convexity. Empirical measures of technical inefficiency and its decomposition results are provided, with a focus on a component of technical inefficiency associated with economies of scope (i.e. diversification benefits) under non‐convexity in production technology. The decomposition measures of technical inefficiency include pure technical inefficiency, size inefficiency and diversification inefficiency. The results provide empirical evidence supporting size‐dependent diversification strategies, where benefits of diversification are larger for small farms on average compared to those of large farms.     

Technical Efficiency of Rice Farms in Different Agroclimatic Zones in the Philippines: An Application of a Stochastic Metafrontier Model*

Rice producers in the Philippines operate in spatially diverse physical environments that are largely beyond their control. We decompose total factor productivity into technical efficiencies and environment–technology gap ratios across four climatic zones for selected years from 1996/1997 to 2005/2006 using farm‐level panel data. Results show surprisingly little interzonal and intertemporal variation in productivity. It appears that Philippine rice producers have been able to adapt their crop management strategies sufficiently to suit their particular agroclimatic conditions. However, after an increase in the first 5 years of the study period, mean environment–metatechnology gap ratios stagnated in the second 5 years. The metafrontier does not appear to have substantially shifted outwards over the whole period, suggesting that rice producers achieved little technological progress and increased total factor productivity.     

Measurement of Technical Efficiency in Public Education: A Stochastic and Nonstochastic Production Function Approach

This paper uses both the stochastic and nonstochastic production function approach to measure technical efficiency in public education in Utah. The stochastic specification estimates technical efficiency assuming half normal and exponential distributions. The nonstochastic specification uses two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) to separate the effects of fixed inputs on the measure of technical efficiency. The empirical analysis shows substantial variation in efficiency among school districts. Although these measures are insensitive to the specific distributional assumptions about the one-sided component of the error term in the stochastic specification, they are sensitive to the treatment of fixed socioeconomic inputs in the two-stage DEA.     

Wage Trends in Rice Production on Java: 1976–1988

Lack of consensus among researchers in Indonesia concerning real wage trends in rice production has generated disagreement over rural labour market conditions on Java. This paper identifies some empirical difficulties associated with measuring real wages, difficulties which have contributed to conflicting results in the literature. It is argued that the choice of deflator and the time period of analysis play a significant role in the calculation of real wages. In addition, the regional dimension of analysis is shown to be important, particularly during certain discrete time periods in recent history.     

Subsidisation of Upland Conservation in West Java: The Citanduy II Project 1

The Citanduy II Project's model farm program on steep slopes in West Java was started in 1981 with the dual goals of reducing erosion and increasing farmer incomes. Limited success in reaching both goats has been achieved. Subsidies used to implement the program, however, could have been allocated more efficiently.     

The Beginnings of the New Supra Insus Rice Intensification Program: The Case of the North Coast of West Java and South Sulawesi 1

In 1987 the Indonesian government introduced a new rice intensification program, Supra Insus, because production was not keeping pace with demand growth. This paper examines the operation and effectiveness of Supra Insus in West Java and South Sulawesi, and identifies some constraints to the program's success. These include inadequate resources and heavy administrative workloads which hamper the efforts of agricultural extension personnel; consequent slow development of necessary skills among farmers; delays in implementing organisational improvements to the program; complex procedures for formulation and ratification of credit proposals; institutional and other barriers to the adoption of some technologies; and conflicts between program administrators and regional governments on credit policy. The practice in South Sulawesi of harnessing traditional forums to the purposes of the program may offer a model for other areas. Further research is needed to evaluate the program's economic performance.     

Technical Change and Productive Efficiency: Irrigated Rice in the Philippines*

Panel data are used to study the technical efficiency of rice producers in the Philippines. Production efficiency over time is measured using a stochastic frontier regression with error decomposition. Sources of inefficiency are identified and the link between irrigation and productive efficiency is measured. Results suggest that irrigation was associated with higher levels of technical efficiency in the sample.     

生产边界与生产网络——全球生产网络研究述评

全球生产网络框架被看作以跨国公司为主体并足以取代跨国公司的最有效的产业组织创新形式.本文试图描述GPN在同类学科与经济社会学的交融中的发展,探索其理论渊源,并评述以GPN为导向的生产体系的价值和地位,进而展望其研究前景.     

Measuring Production and Irrigation Efficiencies of Rice Farms: Evidence from the Punjab Province,Pakistan

We employ a non‐parametric approach, data envelopment analysis, to estimate the technical and irrigation efficiency of rice farms in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. We use a cross‐sectional dataset of 80 rice growers, including 45 tube‐well owners and 35 water buyers. Mean technical efficiency scores show that tube‐well owners and water buyers are operating at fairly high efficiency levels, indicating that access to technology is not a major constraint. However, irrigation inefficiency is pronounced, with water buyers being more inefficient than tube‐well owners. A bootstrap truncated regression is used to investigate the determinants of technical and irrigation efficiency. We suggest that groundwater management policies should be designed to address efficiency enhancing factors such as knowledge of crop water consumption requirement, better credit opportunities, outreach extension services and training programs.