Empirical Analysis of Agricultural Policy Impacts of Senegal for food Self-sufficiency： The Stochastic Frontier Production of Rice and Maize in Senegal River Valley

The stochastic production function estimates of rice and maize in Senegal River Valley demonstrate the possibility to reach self-sufficiency of rice in Senegal. Nonetheless, its fulfillment requires many accompanying measures in rice and maize production. These measures include all upstream and downstream activities related to agricultural production for their efficiency and sustainability in rice and maize production to maintain the country＇s comparative advantages and competitiveness. Then priorities should be given to agricultural infrastructure building, establishment of credit markets, and providing an easy access of production factors （e.g., improved land, fertilizers, improved and certified seeds, as well as agricultural machines）. Furthermore, policy makers should provide a larger incentive in terms of producer price to encourage farmers to increase considerably their outputs, thereby farmers face smaller risk of having non-sold outputs. And during an early harvesting period, appropriate policy measures are in need to prevent farmers from dumping their products under severe social and economic pressures such as children schooling and loan payment, etc

Agricultural Policy, Climate Factors and Grain Output: Evidence From Household Survey Data in Rural China

This paper estimates a stochastic frontier function using a panel data set that includes 4 961 farmer households for the period of 2005-2009 to decompose the growth of grain production and the total factor productivity （TFP） growth at the farmer level. The empirical results show that the major contributor to the grain output growth for farmers is input growth and that its average contribution accounts for 60.92% of farmer’s grain production growth in the period of 2006-2009, whereas the average contributions sourced from TFP growth and residuals are only 17.30 and 21.78%, respectively. The growth of intermediate inputs is a top contributor with an average contribution of 44.46%, followed by the planted area （18.16%）, investment in fixed assets （1.05%）, and labor input （-2.75%）, indicating that the contribution from the farmer’s input growth is mainly due to the growth of intermediate inputs and that the decline in labor inputs has become an obstacle for farmers in seeking grain output growth. Among the elements consisting of TFP growth, the contribution of technical progress is the largest （32.04%）, followed by grain subsidies （8.55%）, the average monthly temperature （4.26%）, the average monthly precipitation （-0.88%）, the adjusted scale effect （-5.66%）, and growth in technical efficiency （-21.01%）. In general, the contribution of climate factors and agricultural policy factor are positive and significant.

Measurement of Technical, AIIocative and Economic Efficiency of Tomato Farms in Northern Pakistan

The study measures productive efficiency of tomato growers in village Akbarpura of Disctrict Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa （KPK） province of Northern Pakistan. The study uses household level data collected in summer 2010 from sample farmers selected by multi-staged sampling. The study uses a theoretical framework to measure productive efficiency and estimates the Cobb-Douglas frontier production and cost models. The study found that technical efficiency indices varied significantly, with technical efficiency index averaging at 65%. The indices of allocative efficiency also varied widely, with an average of 56%. There was a wide gap between the highest and lowest economic efficiency indices, with a mean economic efficiency of 35%. The study concluded that farmer education, extension visits, age and access to credit contributed significantly and positively to productive efficiencies. A policy implication of this study is that there is enough potential for farmers to increase tomato production and net profits. The study recommends that the government should further invest in public education and strengthen extension services farmer education and because extension visits constituted important determinants of productive efficiencies.

Trade-offs between wood production and forest grouse habitats in two regions with distinctive landscapes

Background:Forest management affects the viability of forest grouse populations,causing alterations to habitat quality.At the regional level,common targets for wood harvesting and safeguarding of specific habitats are negotiated between various stakeholders.Analysing potential trade-offs between forest grouse habitats and wood production in the region could support resource-smart decision making.Methods:In this paper,we compiled trade-off curves represented as production possibility frontiers demonstrating the relationship between forest grouse habitat area and wood removal,using a Finnish forestry dynamics model and the Finnish Multi-Source National Forest Inventory.For the modelling of forest grouse habitats,a landscape-level occurrence model based on nationwide wildlife triangle census data was used.Five alternative forest scenarios in terms of wood removal were compiled for two study areas in Finland representing two different landscape structures.Results and conclusions:Results showed that impacts on forest grouse habitats were case-specific.In the southern study area,increasing the roundwood harvesting rate affected grouse habitats more strongly as forests were already fragmented for other land uses and became more spruce-dominated over time.If the maximum sustainable removal rate was implemented,predicted grouse habitat area was 55%less than in a no-removal scenario.In the eastern study area,a more heavily forested region,the decrease was far lower at 22%.Scenario results were also compared to levels of recorded(business as usual)wood removal and that envisaged by valid regional forestry programmes,and their sustainability in terms of grouse habitat area was discussed.The production possibility frontiers calculated in this study support the evaluation of the loss of suitable habitat caused by different wood harvesting rates,or vice versa,the economic cost of increasing habitat areas.

Farm Production Growth in the Upper and Middle Parts of the Yellow River Basin,China,During 1980-1999

The impact of inputs on farm production growth was evaluated by analyzing the economic data of the upper and middle parts of the Yellow River basin, China for the period of 1980-1999. Descriptive statistics were employed to characterize the temporal trends and spatial patterns in farm production and five pertinent inputs of cultivated cropland, irrigation ratio, agricultural labor, machinery power and chemical fertilizer. Stochastic frontier production function was applied to quantify the dependence of the farm production on these inputs. The growth of farm production was decomposed to reflect the contributions by input growths and change in total factor productivity.. The change in total factor productivity was further decomposed into the changes in technology and in technical efficiency. The gross value of farm production in the region of study increased by 1.6 fold during 1980-1999. Among the five selected farm inputs, machinery power and chemical fertilizer increased by 1.8 and 2.8 fold, respectively. The increases in cultivated cropland, irrigated cropland, and agricultural labor were all less than 0.16 fold. The growth in the farm production was primarily contributed by the increase in the total factor productivity during 1980-1985, and by input growths after 1985. More than 80% of the contributions by input growths were attributed to the increased application of fertilizer and machinery. In the change of total factor productivity, the technology change dominated over the technical efficiency change in the study period except in the period of 1985-1990, implying that institution and investment played important roles in farm production growth. There was a decreasing trend in the technical efficiency in the region of study, indicating a potential to increase farm production by improving the technical efficiency in farm activities. Given the limited natural resources in the basin, the results of this study suggested that, for a sustainable growth of farm production in the area, efforts should be directed to technology progress and improvement in technical efficiency in the use of available resources.

Technical efficiency and its determinants in China's hog production

China＇s hog production is undergoing a great transformation due to the soaring demand and changing raising system. Regarding the essential role of pork in Chinese diet, a systematic analysis on the productivity and efficiency of hog production can provide significant implications for policy makers. This paper investigates the productivity and efficiency of hog production and the determinants of technical efficiency in China using a household level panel data（2004–2010）. A stochastic frontier translog production function with scaling property in inefficiency term is adopted for hog production analysis, and the determinants of technical efficiency are incorporated in a one-step estimation using maximum likelihood estimation. Our results show that the average technical efficiency of hog production in China is 0.5914. More importantly, we find that specialized farmers have higher technical efficiency than others, and technical efficiency in the eastern region is higher than that in Central and West China.

Technical efficiency and its determinants of the various cropping systems in the purple-soiled,hilly region of southwestern China

This study examines the technical efficiency(TE) differences among typical cropping systems of smallholder farmers in the purple-soiled hilly region of southwestern China.Household-,plot-,and crop-level data and community surveys were conducted to explore TE levels and determinants of typical cropping systems by using a translog stochastic frontier production function.Results indicate significant difference in TE and its determinants among cropping systems.The mean TEs of the rice cropping system(R),the rice-rape cropping system(RR),the rice-rape-potato cropping system(RRP),and the oil cropping system(O) are0.86,0.90,0.84,and 0.85,respectively,which are over 1.17 times higher than those of the maize-sweet potato-other crop cropping system(MSO) and the maize-sweet potato-wheat cropping system(MSW) at0.78 and 0.69,respectively.Moreover,Technical inefficiency(TIE) of different cropping systems is significantly affected by characteristics of the household as well as plot.However,the impact of land quality,mechanical cultivation conditions,crop structure,farming system,farm radius,household type,cultivated land area per capita,and annual household income per capitalon TIE vary by cropping system.Additionally,output elasticity of land,labor,and capital,as a group,is greater than the one of agricultural machinery and irrigation.Finally,when household-owned effective agricultural labor is at full farming capacity,optimal plot sizes for the R,RR,RRP,MSO,MSW,and 0 cropping systems are 1.12hm^2,0.35 hm^2,0.25 hm^2,2.82 hm^2,1.87 hm^2,and 1.17hm^2,respectively.

Economic efficiency in fish farming: hope for agro-allied industries in Niagara

The challenge to increase the efficiency in food production level in Nigeria appears to be more urgent now than it has ever been in the history of the country. This is in view of the rapidly increasing population, the imminent decline in international economic and food aid and the need to conserve foreign exchange earnings through the production of raw materials to feed the growing industrial sector calls for urgent attention. The study was carded out in Ogun State. The descriptive statistics was used to determine the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents. The stochastic frontiers production analysis was applied to estimate the technical, allocative efficiency and economic efficiency among the fish farmers in the state. The results of economic efficiency revealed that fish farming is economically efficient with a range of between 55% and 84% efficiency level suggesting a favourable hope for the agro-allied industry such as poultry and cottage industries etc in the state. The result of hypothesis of inefficiency sources models showed that years of experience of fish farmers is significant at 1% probability level indicating the factor contributing to the fish farming experience in the state. Thus, the efficiency is due to the fact that farmers are experienced and fairly educated. On the basis of findings, policy is suggested to be directed towards the encouragement of entrepreneurs in fish farming in the state by providing enabling environment like credit facilities, public enlightenment programme and provision of social amenities like feeder roads, pipe-born water etc and given the fact that an increase in the level of formal education variable leads to less inefficiency, government policy should be focused on adopting the best technology （e.g. fast growing species and equipment ） so as to improve the level of efficiency and investment which shall eventually lead to growth in output of fish fanning and a lead to the establishment of agro-allied industries in the state.

The Econometric Approach to Technical Efficiency of Public and Private Textile Enterprises in Iran

This study considers measurement of technical efficiency of 250 public and privately owned textile companies in Iran.Two stochastic frontier production functions are used for this purpose.One assumes that firm characteristics directly influence the degree of technical inefficiency while the other assumes that the technology plays a key role.Maximum likelihood method is used to estimate parameters of the models and predict technical efficiency for each enterprise.The results obtained when using these two models are compared.The sensitivity of efficiency measures with respect to different model specifications is also analyzed.Empirical results show that most of the enterprises are operating at high level of efficiencies.The overall mean efficiency is 86%,indicating that,on average,there is a potential for an increase of output by 14%.The result also shows that the public firms are operating more inefficiently than the private ones.

Input-Output Production Structure and Non-Linear Production Possibility Frontier

Input-output(Leontief)production function is widely used in economic analysis.And diminishing marginal rate of return is a very well accepted economic fact.Leontief production function normally results in a linear production possibility frontier(PPF)due to its linear feature,whereas diminishing marginal rate of return implies a non-linear PPF.In this paper,the authors aim to fix this problem by considering multiple primary inputs in a simplified two-sector economy.The authors find that it is possible to curve a non-linear PPF by using Leontief production function when the authors add heterogeneous primary inputs.The authors also discuss the PPF using non-linear production function.Furthermore,the authors propose that three commonly used economic presumptions cannot hold in the same framework.These presumptions are"single primary input","fixed-proportion inputs"and"law of diminishing marginal returns".

Jinzhai County Household Technical Change and Efficiency Change Analysis: Stochastic Frontier Production Function Approach

Stochastic frontier production function approach is adopted, 93 farmer samples have been collected, pure efficiency, technical efficiency, technical change and scale efficiency and the institutional contribution have been calculated. The results indicated that increasing productivity is the sole measurement to reduce poverty, institution and technical change are the two key factors. Therefore, stable institution, improving technical changes are required. At present, it is urgent to make technical progre...

Sustainability of China＇s Growth Model A Productivity Perspective

In the present paper, the debate on China＇s growth sustainability is first revisited by highlighting the importance of total factor productivity （TFP）. China ＂s TFP performance is then assessed by applying the Jorgensonian aggregate production possibility frontier framework to the latest version of the China lndustry Productivity （CIP） database. We find that of China＇s 8.9-percent annual GDP growth over the period 1980-2012, 7. 0 percentage points （ppts） could be attributed to the growth of labor productivity and 1.9 ppts to the increase in hours worked. Nevertheless, the labor productivity growth is found to be heavily dependent on capital deepening （5.7） rather than TFP growth （0.8）. Notably, the TFP growth turned negative over 2007-2012, which brings into question the sustainability of China＇s growth. Besides, industries that are less prone to state intervention show faster TFP growth than those controlled by the state. Incorporating the Domar aggregation scheme into our model, we further reveal that two-thirds of the TFP growth originates from within industries and the remainder is attributed to a net factor reallocation effect in which labor plays a positive role, whereas capital appears to behave irrationally. Finally, using a revised Maddison-Wu approach to address the potential flaws in official statistics, we arrive at an annual growth rate of 7.2 percent, or 1.7-ppts slower than the 8.9percent obtained based on the CIP data reconstructed using the official national accounts.

Impacts of Land Fragmentation and Cropping System on the Productivity and Efficiency of Grain Producers in the North China Plain: Taking Cangxian County of Hebei Province as an Example

Land fragmentation is widely known to have an impact on farm performance. However, previous studies investigating this impact mainly focused on a single crop, and only limited data from China are available. This study considers multiple crops to identify the impact of land fragmentation(LF), as well as cropping system(CS), on farm productivity and the efficiency of grain producers in the North China Plain(NCP), using Cangxian County of Hebei Province as an example. Detailed household-and plot-level survey data are applied and four stochastic frontier and inefficiency models are developed. These models include different sets of key variables in either the production function or the inefficiency models, in order to investigate all possibilities of their influences on farm productivity and efficiency. The results show that LF plays a significant and detrimental role, affecting both productivity and efficiency. A positive effect is evident with respect to the CS variable, i.e., multiple cropping index(MCI), and the wheat-maize double CS, rather than the maize single CS, is usually associated with higher farm productivity and efficiency. In addition to LF and CS, four basic production input variables(labor, seed, pesticide and irrigation), also significantly affect farmers’ productivity, while the age of the household head and the ratio of the off-farm labor to total labor are significantly relevant to technical inefficiency. Policies geared toward the promotion of land transfer and the rational adjustment of cropping systems are recommended for boosting farm productivity and efficiency, and thus maintaining the food supply while mitigating the overexploitation of groundwater in the NCP.

Estimating Regional Technical Efficiency and Its Determinants:Evidence from China's Provincial Panel Data

This paper applies a stochastic translog production function to examine the underlying causes of technical inefficiency for 28 provinces in the Chinese mainland over the period 1970-2011.We find that inefficiency was present in production and several relevant explanatory variables contributed to it.Specifically,we find that the provinces with higher level of human capital,higher engagement in international trade,a further relaxation of the household registration(hukou)system and a smaller government size tended to lie closer to the national frontier.In addition,public infrastructure was not productive and we find no evidence to support the general view that state-owned enterprises(SOEs)were operating relatively inefficiently when compared to non-SOEs.