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Examining the impact of conservation agriculture on environmental efficiency among maize farmers in Zambia

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  • Abdulai, Abdul-Nafeo
  • Abdulai, Awudu

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of conservation agriculture (CA) on the environmental efficiency of maize farmers in Zambia, by comparing nitrogen fertilizer recovery between farms that practise CA and those using conventional farming technologies. The Nitrogen Index Tier Zero tool is employed in generating a nitrogen balance sheet at the farm level. As CA technology may improve farmers' access to better technology, we employ a selectivity-corrected meta-frontier approach to account for potential selection bias and technology heterogeneity. The empirical results suggest that farmers practising CA are environmentally more efficient than conventional farmers. The findings also show that environmental efficiency is significantly influenced by access to credit, farming experience and years of schooling of household head, land ownership and distance to markets. Moreover, farmers practising CA are found to be technically more efficient than those using the conventional technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdulai, Abdul-Nafeo & Abdulai, Awudu, 2017. "Examining the impact of conservation agriculture on environmental efficiency among maize farmers in Zambia," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 177-201, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:endeec:v:22:y:2017:i:02:p:177-201_00
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    5. Bairagi, Subir K. & Mishra, Ashok K., 2020. "Do Farmers’ Organizations Impact Production Efficiency? Evidence from Bangladeshi Rice Farmers," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304179, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
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    10. Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Higgins, Daniel & Arslan, Aslihan, 2020. "Irrigation infrastructure and farm productivity in the Philippines: A stochastic Meta-Frontier analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    11. Guangcheng Ren & Xueqin Zhu & Shuyi Feng, 2023. "The Impact of Migration on Farm Performance: Evidence from Rice Farmers in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-14, March.
    12. Ainembabazi, John Herbert & Abdoulaye, Tahirou & Feleke, Shiferaw & Alene, Arega & Dontsop-Nguezet, Paul M. & Ndayisaba, Pierre Celestin & Hicintuka, Cyrille & Mapatano, Sylvain & Manyong, Victor, 2018. "Who benefits from which agricultural research-for-development technologies? Evidence from farm household poverty analysis in Central Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 28-46.
    13. Kamiche Zegarra, J. & Bravo-Ureta, B., 2018. "Are users of market information efficient? A stochastic production frontier model corrected by sample selection," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 275870, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Berazneva, Julia & McBride, Linden & Sheahan, Megan & Güereña, David, 2018. "Empirical assessment of subjective and objective soil fertility metrics in east Africa: Implications for researchers and policy makers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 367-382.
    15. Abdul-Rahaman, Awal & Issahaku, Gazali & Zereyesus, Yacob A., 2021. "Improved rice variety adoption and farm production efficiency: Accounting for unobservable selection bias and technology gaps among smallholder farmers in Ghana," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    16. Jacob Asravor & Alexander N. Wiredu & Khalid Siddig & Edward E. Onumah, 2019. "Evaluating the Environmental-Technology Gaps of Rice Farms in Distinct Agro-Ecological Zones of Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-16, April.
    17. Bouali Guesmi & Ahmed Yangui & Ibtissem Taghouti & José Maria Gil, 2022. "Trade-Off between Land Use Pattern and Technical Efficiency Performance: Evidence from Arable Crop Farming in Tunisia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    18. Jagoda Zmyślona & Arkadiusz Sadowski & Natalia Genstwa, 2023. "Plant Protection and Fertilizer Use Efficiency in Farms in a Context of Overinvestment: A Case Study from Poland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, August.
    19. Ma, Wanglin & Renwick, Alan & Yuan, Peng & Ratna, Nazmun, 2018. "Agricultural cooperative membership and technical efficiency of apple farmers in China: An analysis accounting for selectivity bias," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 122-132.
    20. Ruopin Qu & Yongchang Wu & Jing Chen & Glyn D. Jones & Wenjing Li & Shan Jin & Qian Chang & Yiying Cao & Guijun Yang & Zhenhong Li & Lynn J. Frewer, 2020. "Effects of Agricultural Cooperative Society on Farmers’ Technical Efficiency: Evidence from Stochastic Frontier Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-13, October.
    21. Lei Wu & Chuanjian Li & Yang Gao, 2022. "Regional agricultural cooperatives and subjective wellbeing of rural households in China," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(S2), pages 138-158, November.
    22. Zheng, Hongyun & Ma, Wanglin & Wang, Fang & Li, Gucheng, 2021. "Does internet use improve technical efficiency of banana production in China? Evidence from a selectivity-corrected analysis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    23. Tateishi, Henrique Ryosuke & Bragagnolo, Cassiano & Almeida, Alexandre Nunes de, 2021. "Forest, agriculture and land conversion: Environmental efficiency in Brazilian Amazon rainforest," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).

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