IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/eaae05/24493.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Learning in Organic Farming - An Application on Finnish Dairy Farms

Author

Listed:
  • Sipilainen, Timo
  • Oude Lansink, Alfons G.J.M.

Abstract

Organic farming technology may be relatively unknown to farmers at the time when they switch from conventional into organic farming. Therefore, experience gained over time and learning by doing may be important determinants in the efficiency of organic farming. It may also take time to reach the optimal nutrient stock of soil and optimal nutrient supply for arable crops under organic farming. Thus, efficiency of organic farming can either grow or decrease over time depending on the nature of the technology and the learning process. This paper estimates technical efficiency of organic farming and its development over time. We control for possible selection bias and regional heterogeneity when estimating a stochastic frontier distance functions for a sample of conventional and organic dairy farms in Finland. The results suggest that organic dairy farms are less technically efficient than conventional farms. Technical efficiency at first diminishes when the conversion towards organic production starts. After 6 years from the switch, technical efficiency starts to increase again. The estimates signal that the length of the conversion and learning process of organic farming is in average 6-7 years.

Suggested Citation

  • Sipilainen, Timo & Oude Lansink, Alfons G.J.M., 2005. "Learning in Organic Farming - An Application on Finnish Dairy Farms," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24493, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:eaae05:24493
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.24493
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/24493/files/cp05si01.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.24493?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alfons Oude Lansink & Ky–sti Pietola, 2002. "Effciency and productivity of conventional and organic farms in Finland 1994--1997," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 29(1), pages 51-66, March.
    2. George E. Battese & Lennart Hjalmarsson & Almas Heshmati, 2000. "Efficiency of labour use in the Swedish banking industry: a stochastic frontier approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 623-640.
    3. Kumbhakar, Subal C & Bhattacharyya, Arunava, 1992. "Price Distortions and Resource-Use Efficiency in Indian Agriculture: A Restricted Profit Function Approach," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 74(2), pages 231-239, May.
    4. Battese, George E. & Coelli, Tim J., 1988. "Prediction of firm-level technical efficiencies with a generalized frontier production function and panel data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 387-399, July.
    5. Bernhard Brümmer & Thomas Glauben & Geert Thijssen, 2002. "Decomposition of Productivity Growth Using Distance Functions: The Case of Dairy Farms in Three European Countries," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 84(3), pages 628-644.
    6. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    7. S Reinhard & G Thijssen, 2000. "Nitrogen efficiency of Dutch dairy farms: a shadow cost system approach," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 27(2), pages 167-186, June.
    8. K. J. Arrow, 1971. "The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: F. H. Hahn (ed.), Readings in the Theory of Growth, chapter 11, pages 131-149, Palgrave Macmillan.
    9. Kumbhakar, Subal C & Ghosh, Soumendra & McGuckin, J Thomas, 1991. "A Generalized Production Frontier Approach for Estimating Determinants of Inefficiency in U.S. Dairy Farms," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 9(3), pages 279-286, July.
    10. Spiro E. Stefanou & Swati Saxena, 1988. "Education, Experience, and Allocative Efficiency: A Dual Approach," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 70(2), pages 338-345.
    11. Stijn Reinhard & C.A. Knox Lovell & Geert Thijssen, 1999. "Econometric Estimation of Technical and Environmental Efficiency: An Application to Dutch Dairy Farms," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(1), pages 44-60.
    12. KS Pietola & AO Lansink, 2001. "Farmer response to policies promoting organic farming technologies in Finland," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 28(1), pages 1-15, March.
    13. Carin W. Rougoor & Ger Trip & Ruud B.M. Huirnc & Jan A. Renkema, 1998. "How to define and study farmers' management capacity: theory and use in agricultural economics," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 18(3), pages 261-272, May.
    14. Coelli, Tim & Perelman, Sergio, 1999. "A comparison of parametric and non-parametric distance functions: With application to European railways," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(2), pages 326-339, September.
    15. Battese, G E & Coelli, T J, 1995. "A Model for Technical Inefficiency Effects in a Stochastic Frontier Production Function for Panel Data," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 325-332.
    16. Mundlak, Yair, 1996. "Production Function Estimation: Reviving the Primal," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(2), pages 431-438, March.
    17. Rougoor, Carin W. & Trip, Ger & Huirne, Ruud B. M. & Renkema, Jan A., 1998. "How to define and study farmers' management capacity: theory and use in agricultural economics," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 261-272, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jiang, Nan & Sharp, Basil, 2014. "Cost Efficiency of Dairy Farming in New Zealand: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 43(3), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Huang, Wei & Bruemmer, Bernhard & Huntsinger, Lynn, 2016. "Incorporating measures of grassland productivity into efficiency estimates for livestock grazing on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 1-11.
    3. Wilson, Paul & Hadley, David & Asby, Carol, 2001. "The influence of management characteristics on the technical efficiency of wheat farmers in eastern England," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 329-338, March.
    4. Boris Bravo-Ureta & Daniel Solís & Víctor Moreira López & José Maripani & Abdourahmane Thiam & Teodoro Rivas, 2007. "Technical efficiency in farming: a meta-regression analysis," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 57-72, February.
    5. Teresa Serra & Barry Goodwin, 2009. "The efficiency of Spanish arable crop organic farms, a local maximum likelihood approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 113-124, April.
    6. Daniel Solís & Boris E. Bravo‐Ureta & Ricardo E. Quiroga, 2009. "Technical Efficiency among Peasant Farmers Participating in Natural Resource Management Programmes in Central America," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 202-219, February.
    7. Tzouvelekas, Vangelis & Pantzios, Christos J. & Fotopoulos, Christos, 2001. "Technical efficiency of alternative farming systems: the case of Greek organic and conventional olive-growing farms," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 549-569, December.
    8. Lota D. Tamini & Bruno Larue & Gale West, 2012. "Technical and environmental efficiencies and best management practices in agriculture," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(13), pages 1659-1672, May.
    9. Madau, Fabio A., 2005. "Technical Efficiency in Organic Farming: An Application on Italian Cereal Farms Using a Parametric Approach," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24545, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. Moreira, Victor H. & Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Dunner, Roberto & Vidal, Ricardo, 2012. "Total Factor Productivity Change in Dairy Production in Southern Chile: Is Farm Size Significant?," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126895, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. González, MarI´a Manuela & Trujillo, Lourdes, 2008. "Reforms and infrastructure efficiency in Spain's container ports," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 243-257, January.
    12. Ripoll-Zarraga, Ane Elixabete & Huderek-Glapska, Sonia, 2021. "Airports’ managerial human capital, ownership, and efficiency," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    13. Areal, Francisco J. & Jones, Philip J. & Mortimer, Simon R. & Wilson, Paul, 2018. "Measuring sustainable intensification: Combining composite indicators and efficiency analysis to account for positive externalities in cereal production," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 314-326.
    14. Lilai Xu (ed.), 2011. "China’s Economy in the Post-WTO Environment," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14270.
    15. Badunenko, Oleg & D’Inverno, Giovanna & De Witte, Kristof, 2023. "On distinguishing the direct causal effect of an intervention from its efficiency-enhancing effects," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 310(1), pages 432-447.
    16. Desilva, Sanjaya, 2000. "Skills, Partnership and Tenancy in Sri Lanka Rice Farms," Center Discussion Papers 28401, Yale University, Economic Growth Center.
    17. Ferreira, Marcelo Dias Paes & Féres, José Gustavo, 2020. "Farm size and Land use efficiency in the Brazilian Amazon," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    18. Areal, Francisco J. & Tiffin, Richard & Balcombe, Kelvin G., 2012. "Provision of environmental output within a multi-output distance function approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 47-54.
    19. Holtkamp, A.M. & Brummer, B., 2018. "Environmental efficiency of smallholder rubber production," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277518, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    20. Puig-Junoy, Jaume & Argiles, Josep M., 2004. "The influence of management accounting use on farm inefficiency," Agricultural Economics Review, Greek Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 5(2), pages 1-20, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:eaae05:24493. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/eaaeeea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.