This paper investigates the effect of the introduction of an irrigation technique on the technical efficiency of olive production in a sample of olive-growing farms in Tunisia, estimating the Cobb-Douglas form of stoc...This paper investigates the effect of the introduction of an irrigation technique on the technical efficiency of olive production in a sample of olive-growing farms in Tunisia, estimating the Cobb-Douglas form of stochastic frontier production function. Results indicate that estimated technical efficiency scores vary, ranging from a minimum of 3.0% to a maximum of 91.2% with a mean value of 61.2%. This suggests that olive-growing farms in Tunisia can increase their production on average by 38.8% through more efficient use of technology and inputs. The introduction of irrigation increased productivity, however, the estimated technical efficiency of irrigated olive farms varies across farms and they are less efficient than non-irrigated farms. This finding suggests that the introduction of irrigation to non-irrigated farms has the potential to increase production levels, however, the current production of the irrigated farms is far from the ＂best practice frontier＂ that realizes maximum possible output. Accumulation of experience and knowledge by farm owners and selection of olive cultivar significantly contribute to improving technical efficiency.展开更多
文摘This paper investigates the effect of the introduction of an irrigation technique on the technical efficiency of olive production in a sample of olive-growing farms in Tunisia, estimating the Cobb-Douglas form of stochastic frontier production function. Results indicate that estimated technical efficiency scores vary, ranging from a minimum of 3.0% to a maximum of 91.2% with a mean value of 61.2%. This suggests that olive-growing farms in Tunisia can increase their production on average by 38.8% through more efficient use of technology and inputs. The introduction of irrigation increased productivity, however, the estimated technical efficiency of irrigated olive farms varies across farms and they are less efficient than non-irrigated farms. This finding suggests that the introduction of irrigation to non-irrigated farms has the potential to increase production levels, however, the current production of the irrigated farms is far from the ＂best practice frontier＂ that realizes maximum possible output. Accumulation of experience and knowledge by farm owners and selection of olive cultivar significantly contribute to improving technical efficiency.
