Spatio-temporal variation and relationship between agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity in a semi-arid region of India

A surging population in Karnataka State,a semi-arid region in India,poses a threat to both food security and livelihood sustainability,necessitating a concentrated effort to bolster agricultural efficiency and achieve United Naton’s Sustainable Development Goal 2(zero hunger).Therefore,in order to address the pressing issue of food scarcity in Karnataka,this study meticulously examined the spatio-temporal variation of agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity in Karnataka,uncovering its significant dependence of agricultural efficiency on irrigation intensity.Specifically,this study used a one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA)to ascertain significant differences in the means of agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity during 2004-2005 and 2018-2019.This study showed that the maximum improvement in agricultural efficiency index was recorded in Belgaum(40.24),Gulbarga(24.77),and Yadgir districts(22.92)between 2004-2005 and 2018-2019,which indicated the progressing trend and better scope for agriculture extension.On the contrary,some districts expressed threat(a decline of above 20.00 of agricultural efficiency index)and needed special care for the improvement of agricultural efficiency in four northern districts(Bagalkot,Bidar,Raichur,and Bijapur),three southern districts(Chitradurga,Chikballapur and Hassan),and two southern districts(Koppal and Gadag)in Karnataka.During 2004-2005,irrigation intensity varied from 3.19%to 56.39%,with the lowest irrigation intensity in Kodagu District and the highest irrigation intensity in Shimoga District.During 2018-2019,irrigation intensity changed from 0.77%to 72.77%,with the lowest irrigation intensity in Kodagu District and the highest in Dakshin Kannad District.Moreover,the research scrutinized the complex relationship between agricultural efficiency and irrigation intensity,with the correlation coefficient increased from 0.162 during 2004-2005 to 0.255 during 2018-2019.It implies that in both periods,a low positive correlation existed between these two variables.Over time,several factors(high-yield seeds and chemical fertilizers)other than irrigation intensity gradually became essential for agricultural efficiency.This research offers a wealth of valuable insights for regional planners and policy-makers contending with comparable challenges in various regions of India and other developing countries.

Nonfarm employment, agricultural machinery service purchase and agricultural production efficiency:An empirical study based on China's major wheat-producing areas

Based on the cross-sectional data of the survey conducted in China's main wheat producing areas at the end of 2019,this paper uses the translog production function model to estimate agricultural technical efficiency,and studies the relationship between nonfarm employment,agricultural machinery service purchase and agricultural production efficiency.The results show that the household non-agricultural employment ratio and non-agricultural income have a significant positive impact on the purchase of agricultural machinery services.In addition to the effect of scale efficiency,non-agricultural employment does not have a significant impact on agricultural technical efficiency,and labor transfer does not have a significant negative impact on agricultural production.

Evaluation for Use Efficiency of Agricultural Resources in Grain Production:A Case Study of Changshu,Taihe and Ansai in China

This paper aims to establish an index system for evaluation of agricultural resources use efficiency(ARUE) in grain production and discuss the causes of low efficiency and high consumption of agricultural resources in Changshu of Jiangsu Province,Taihe of Jiangxi Province and Ansai of Shaanxi Province in China by analyzing the data about meteorology,soil,water consumption and grain production. Agro-ecological Zone(AEZ) method was adopted to calculate the potential productivity,and synthetically multivariate equation was used to evaluate the ARUE of study areas. This paper can be concluded as:1) the agricultural resources in grain production can be classified into five categories,i.e.,climatic resources,water resources,land resources,biological resources and assistant resources,and 15 indexes were selected to evaluate their use efficiency in grain production;2) the values of ARUE in grain production are 0.5868,0.6368 and 0.5390 respectively in Changshu,Taihe and Ansai;and 3) Changshu ranks the highest among the three study areas in terms of the use efficiency of climatic resources and biological resources(evaluation values are 0.0277 and 0.1530) ,but Taihe tops the three in terms of the use efficiency of water resources,land resources and assistant resources(evaluation values are 0.0502,0.2945 and 0.1379 respectively) . However,the ARUE remains always low in Ansai for all the resources. The inefficiencies are caused by poor grain revenue in Changshu,deficient agriculture investments in Taihe and unfavorable natural conditions in Ansai.

Evaluation of Land-Use Efficiency Based on Regional Scale——A Case Study in Zhanjiang,Guangdong Province

Evaluating land use efficiency is critical to the revision of general land use planning. An assessment indicator system for regional land use efficiency was established in this paper from the aspects of society,economy,ecology and environment. The weight of each indicator was defined by an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the entropy method (EM). Then,a case study in Zhanjiang was carried out to analyze the regional land use efficiency from 1996 to 2004 and its development by using the method of multifactor composite evaluation and an analytical model of the de-gree of coordination. The results indicate that land use efficiency with respect to society and the economy improved,whereas the ecological and environmental efficiencies were found to decrease. The degree of coordination in Zhanjiang is still at the status of basic coordination. Finally,measures for enhancing the ecological and environmental establish-ment are suggested in order to improve the regulations of land use structure and patterns,establish ecological forests for the public good and green corridors and prevent the soil erosion.

Evaluation and Influence Factor of Green Efficiency of China’s Agricultural Innovation from the Perspective of Technical Transformation

Agricultural innovation is important for the green transformation of agriculture.Based on the perspective of technology transformation,this paper builds a theoretical analysis framework and evaluation index system for green efficiency of agricultural innovation,and discusses the evolution laws and influencing factors of the green efficiency of China’s agricultural innovation from 2005 to 2017 utilizing the DEA model,Malmquist index,and Tobit regression analysis.The results show that:1)The overall green efficiency of China’s agricultural innovation is not high,the green efficiency of agricultural innovation in eastern China is mainly driven by pure technical efficiency,while that in central and western China is mainly driven by the scale efficiency.The green efficiency of agricultural innovation shows significant spatial differences,and the low efficiency and relatively low-efficiency regions moved to central and southeastern China.2)Technical progress is the main force affecting the change of green total factor productivity of China’s agricultural innovation,seeing a trend of decrease followed by an increase.Pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency exhibit an increasing-decreasing trend,and gradually transform into key factors that restrict the improvement of the green total factor productivity of agricultural innovation.3)Agricultural technologies’diffusion,absorption,and implementation are three influencing factors of the green efficiency of agricultural innovation.The local level of informatization,the number of agricultural technicians in enterprises and institutions,average education level of residents,and the level of agricultural mechanization have positive impacts on the promotion of the green efficiency of agricultural innovation,promoting the diffusion,absorption and implementation of agricultural innovation technology can significantly improve the green efficiency of agricultural innovation.

Effect of Agricultural Land Use Changes on Soil Nutrient Use Efficiency in an Agricultural Area,Beijing,China

Agricultural land use and management practices may affect soil properties,which play a critical role in sustaining crop production.Since the late 1970s,several new agricultural land use types had been introduced in the rural areas of China.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of these land use changes on the soil properties,nu-trient absorption rate,and nutrient use economic efficiency ratio in an agricultural area of Beijing.Specifically,the cropland,the orchard and the vegetable field were examined.Results of this study suggest that land use and farming management practices significantly affect the content of soil organic carbon (SOC),total nitrogen (TN),total phos-phorus (TP),and available phosphorus in the surface layer of 0-25 cm (p<0.05) in the Yanqing Basin,northwestern Beijing.Soil nutrients in each agricultural land use type decrease rapidly with the increasing soil depth.Orchard and vegetable field tend to have higher soil nutrients than the cropland does.However,the soil nutrient-absorption rate (NAR) of the orchard and vegetable field is lower than that of the cropland,even though orchard and vegetable field may provide much higher economic benefit.While increasing SOC,TN,and TP in the orchard and vegetable field by intensive farming may be a valuable option to improve soil quality,potential increase in the risk of nutrient loss,or agricultural non-point source pollution can be a tradeoff if the intensive practices are not managed appropriately.

Research on Efficiency of Financial Supports in Agricultural Industrialization in China

The agricultural industry development in China has been very successful, but there exist some problems, such as weak financial support strength. With the help of DEA-Malmquist index method, this paper evaluated the efficiency of the agricultural industrialization＇s financial supports, made a deep study of its influencing factors, which have an extremely important influence on the perfect agricultural industrialization＇s development.

DEA Analysis of Agricultural Production Efficiency in Hainan Province

On the basis of summarizing some literatures regarding research of agricultural production efficiency by using DEA at home,we conduct empirical analysis on agricultural production efficiency in 18 cities or counties of Hainan Province in the year 2002,2005 and 2008 by using DEA model.The results show that in 2005 Hainan Province suffered from unusual drought and windstorm,which made the effective value of agricultural production in all cities or counties relatively low;the regions with DEA effectiveness of agricultural production in the year 2002,2005 and 2008 were Qionghai City,Tunchang County,Lingao County,Danzhou City,Qiongzhong County and Baisha County.Haikou City,Wuzhishan City and Baoting County in the year 2002,Lingshui County in the year 2005,and Sanya City and Dongfang County in the year 2008 were also regions with DEA effectiveness,indicating that the input-output of these regions in the corresponding years is in optimal state.Finally,we conduct projection analysis on six cities and counties with non-DEA effectiveness in the year 2008 in Hainan Province,and based on this,find out the approach of improving agricultural production efficiency in these regions.

Comparative Analysis of the Utilization Efficiency of Major Agricultural Resources in Hebei Province

The utilization efficiency of resources is one of the important factors affecting the development of modern agriculture. Using production function method and ratio analysis method,we carry out the horizontal comparison of the utilization efficiency of major agricultural resources such as arable land,agricultural machinery power and chemical fertilizer in Hebei Province and the national level,and the vertical comparison of the utilization efficiency of major agricultural resources between the prefecture-level cities in the province. The results show that the utilization efficiency of agricultural resources in Hebei Province is below the national average,and there are significant differences in the utilization efficiency of agricultural resources between the prefecture-level cities in the province.

Panel Data Based Dynamic Evaluation of Agricultural Resource Utilization Efficiency: A Case Study of Hebei Province

Resource utilization efficiency is one of important factors influencing modern agricultural development. This paper evaluates agricultural resource utilization efficiency of Hebei Province in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan period by dynamic comprehensive evaluation method. Evaluation results indicate that regional disparity in agricultural resource utilization efficiency is significant, and the disparity is increasing year by year.

An Empirical Study of the Allocation Efficiency of Rural Financial Resources in Hubei Province from the Perspective of Agricultural Loans

The incompatibility of China's economy and finance has to some extent inhibited the development of rural economy. Taking Hubei Province for example,we measure the allocation efficiency of rural financial resources from the perspective of agricultural input and output,and use the modern rural financial development theory to set forth some policy recommendations on how to build a new rural financial resource allocation system. Studies have shown that the allocation efficiency of rural financial resources is low in China,and improving the allocation efficiency of rural financial resources is the key to perfecting rural financial environment while increasing financial support for agriculture.

Measurement and Analysis of Agricultural Production Efficiency in Taiwan of China Based on Three-stage DEA Model

Agricultural production efficiency in Taiwan of China in 2015 is studied by using three-stage DEA model. The results show that total output value of agriculture,forestry,animal husbandry and fishery is taken as output index,while employees of agriculture,forestry,animal husbandry and fishery,number of tractors,investment in dry land and paddy field are taken as input indexes,which meets " isotropic" condition assumption of model application. Natural disaster,number of workers in agricultural production and marketing class,expenditure on farmland water conservancy are not favorable for the promotion of agricultural production efficiency,while multiple cropping index is favorable for promoting agricultural production efficiency. Three-stage DEA model effectively eliminates the influences of environmental and random factors on agricultural production efficiency. After environmental and random factors are eliminated,comprehensive technical efficiency in Taiwan of China declines because of the decline of pure technical efficiency. Each county and city of Taiwan could be divided into different types according to pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency,and it can have some emphasis in improving agricultural production efficiency according to their own efficiency characteristics.

Agricultural Production Efficiency of Chongqing Based on DEA

Literatures about agricultural production efficiency are reviewed.Concept of DEA Method,as well as the definition methods of effective DEA and scale efficiency increase are introduced.According to the relevant statistical data in the years 1997-2007 in Chongqing Municipality,efficiency of agricultural economy is calculated from the year 1997 to 2007 by DEA method and the scale efficiency is also analyzed by taking the total output of agriculture,forestry,animal husbandry and fishery industry as the output index.And the input index includes total workforce in agriculture,forestry,animal husbandry and fishery,the total sown area of crops,the total power of agricultural machinery,chemical fertilizer application,the draft animal,and the effective irrigation area.Result shows that Chongqing City became a municipality directly under the central government;its agricultural production efficiency is still low.And the sustainable development capacity of agricultural is weak in Chongqing,and the agricultural resources are not fully used.Based on this,related suggestions are put forward to improve the agricultural production efficiency of Chongqing,such as implementing an appropriate management scale of land,improving the organization degree of peasant households and the rate of industrialization management,enhancing the quality of the rural labor force,strengthening the agricultural science and technology input and extension,perfecting the construction of rural infrastructure,and improving the rate of resource utilization.

Agricultural Eco-efficiency Evaluation in Anhui Province: An Empirical Analysis Based on DEA Method

According to the eco-efficiency theory, combined with agricultural production characteristics, I point out the environmental impact and substance energy consumption characteristics of agricultural production. Based on this, I establish the eco-efficiency evaluation indicator system for agricultural production, and conduct a comprehensive analysis on the agricultural eco-efficiency of 17 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province, using data envelopment analysis method.

Food Production Engineering Efficiency: A Critical Analysis of the Conventional Metrics Used in Measuring Agricultural Efficiency

An analysis is reported of conventional vs. alternative metrics used in measuring food production efficiency. Economic efficiency is driven by marketplace economics, while engineering efficiency is driven by useful energy conservation. As farming systems are optimized for maximum efficiency, how “efficiency” is defined will dictate the methods used in food production. Farming methods that are optimized in terms of economic efficiency have environmental consequences that are not inherent of engineering efficiency;however, farming methods optimized in terms of engineering efficiency have labor requirements not inherent of economic efficiency. A shift from optimizing food production in terms of economic efficiency to engineering efficiency may be necessary in order to feed a growing human population.

Research on Agricultural Co-efficiency of Farmer Professional Cooperative Unions

Various farmer professional cooperative unions( FPCUs) have emerged and flourished along with the development of rural economy in recent years. Compared with the independent cooperatives,the FPCUs can integrate the union's structure and have more cooperation in business. In a wider range,it can also let every member of the union exchange the market information efficiently,and adjust the circulation of cash products,share the technology,generate a mechanism to complement each other's advantages and help each other. The basic situation and effects of farmer professional cooperative unions in Jingzhou City of Hubei Province are analyzed in this paper,by selecting Jing Chu Fu Min Agricultural Cooperative Union,Jianli Fu Wa San Feng Farmer Specialized Cooperative Union and Honghu Chun Lu Agricultural Cooperative Union as typical cases. The prominent problems in the agricultural cooperation are analyzed emphatically,and then the corresponding measures and suggestions are put forward.

Study of Efficiency of Agricultural Listed Companies Based on DEA Model

As leading enterprises supporting the agricultural development,agricultural listed companies play a great role,thus the study on their operating efficiency will have a strong demonstration effect. Using the data envelopment analysis( DEA) model,the operating efficiency of 20 agricultural listed companies was compared and analyzed. The results indicated that the overall efficiency of the agricultural listed companies is low. In agricultural listed companies with low or moderate overall efficiency,some agricultural companies are affected by the pure technical efficiency or scale efficiency,while other companies are affected by both factors,and accompanied with the increasing or decreasing efficiency along with the scale. Through in-depth analysis,it concluded that nine companies affected by pure technical efficiency have different degree of input redundancy or output deficiency. On this basis,it came up with pertinent recommendations for improvement.

Dynamic change of agricultural energy efficiency and its influencing factors in China

In order to practice the concept of‘lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets’and promote the green development of agriculture,it is necessary to improve the efficiency of agricultural energy utilization.Based on the panel data of 28 provinces from 1995 to 2018,this paper calculated China’s agricultural energy input from two categories of direct energy and indirect energy,and used EBM(Epsilon-based Measure)mixed distance function model to measure the energy efficiency of agriculture in China.The nuclear density function and spatial autocorrelation were used to analyze the dynamic evolution of agricultural energy efficiency,and the dynamic panel model was used to analyze the influencing factors of agricultural energy efficiency.The results showed that:①From 1995 to 2018,the total agricultural energy input had increased year by year in China,with an average annual growth rate of 2%.Energy input structure changed from indirect energy-based to direct energy-based.Agricultural energy efficiency showed an evolutionary trend of‘rising-stagnating-rising rapidly’in China.The agricultural energy efficiency was generally low in China,and there was a large space for improvement in agricultural energy efficiency.②From 1995 to 2018,the average annual growth rate of agricultural energy efficiency in the eastern,central and western regions was 2.7%,1.9%and 1.4%respectively.In 2018,the agricultural energy efficiency in the eastern,central and western regions was 0.81,0.71 and 0.59 respectively.The gap between regions was expanding rapidly,and the agricultural energy efficiency in the central and western regions needed to be improved.③From 1995 to 2018,the agricultural energy efficiency of each province was polarized and the absolute gap was widened.There was obvious improvement in agricultural energy efficiency in Guangdong,Shandong,Jiangxi,Jiangsu,Liaoning and Tianjin,while the agricultural energy efficiency of Xinjiang,Guizhou,Zhejiang,Shanghai,and Inner Mongolia deteriorated.④From 1995 to 2018,there was no global spatial correlation of China’s agricultural energy efficiency.However,local‘high-high’concentration gradually appeared in the eastern region since 2010.⑤The first lag of energy efficiency had a significant positive impact on agricultural energy efficiency,and agricultural energy efficiency improvement had a time lag.The level of human capital,per capita net income of farmers and the level of urbanizaton had a significant positive impact on agricultural energy efficiency.The disaster rate,the level of development of secondary and tertiary industries,and the level of opening up had a significant negative impact on agricultural energy efficiency.In the implementation of the strategy of rural revitalization,we should focus on the central and western regions,take the cultivation of professional farmers as the key,focus on improving agricultural production conditions,enhance the level of cooperation between regions,exert the leading role of the secondary and tertiary industries,and enhance the ability of agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation.

Energy Efficiency Classification for Agricultural Heater

Classification of energy efficiency system for agricultural heater was discussed and analyzed in order to derive an energy efficiency classification scheme for agricultural heater. Current practices of energy efficiency programs for other products such as residential gas boiler were investigated and analyzed. Test items including energy efficiency and standby power for agricultural heater were analyzed. With the data of residential gas boiler, grade distribution of energy efficiency system was made and evaluated. An energy efficiency classification scheme for agricultural heater was proposed and applied to agricultural heaters, and the scheme was justified. Introducing a new energy efficiency classification system to the agricultural heater industry, it is expected that considerable amount of fossil fuels can be reduced by adopting energy efficiency classification system.

County urbanization,agricultural servitization,and agricultural eco-efficiency:Statistical verification based on Chongqing

Agricultural ecologicalization is an important starting point to promote sustainable and high-quality development of agriculture.Based on the panel data of 37 districts(counties)in Chongqing from 2004 to 2019,the DDF-GML index method is used to measure the agricultural ecological efficiency of Chongqing.Based on the analysis of the interaction mechanism of urbanization,agricultural service,and agricultural ecological efficiency,with the help of the PVAR model verifies the relationship between the three.The study found that urbanization,agricultural service,and agricultural ecological efficiency have significant inertia effects and path dependence,especially agricultural ecological efficiency can provide more than 90%of its variance contribution,while urbanization and agricultural ecological efficiency have a significant impact on agricultural ecological efficiency.The influence will become weaker and weaker over time,obeying the law of diminishing margins.Therefore,to promote the development of agricultural ecologicalization,we must rely on the clean,green,and ecological development of agricultural production itself.At the same time,we also need to further improve the urbanization and agricultural service modernization system to maximize the benefits of agriculture.