IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/dkn/econwp/eco_2004_02.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Environmental efficiency: meaning and measurement and application to Australian dairy farms

Author

Listed:
  • Graham, Mary

Abstract

Technical efficiency has been widely studied in the literature, but in its pursuit, many of the inputs used can impact on the environment. Environmental effects can be modelled as undesirable output or, as has been the case in more recent studies, as conventional inputs. This paper examines the concept of environmental efficiency and how it can be used to evaluate the performance of Australian dairy farming, using nitrogen surplus, arising from excessive applications of fertilizer, as a detrimental input. Farming promotes the image of clean and green production and if this image is to be maintained, there is a need to ensure activities are environmentally friendly
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Graham, Mary, 2004. "Environmental efficiency: meaning and measurement and application to Australian dairy farms," Working Papers eco_2004_02, Deakin University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:dkn:econwp:eco_2004_02
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Wit, C. T., 1992. "Resource use efficiency in agriculture," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 40(1-3), pages 125-151.
    2. Geoff Edwards, 2003. "The story of deregulation in the dairy industry," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 47(1), pages 75-98, March.
    3. Alfons Weersink & Calum G. Turvey & Abdulahi Godah, 1990. "Decomposition Measures of Technical Efficiency for Ontario Dairy Farms," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 38(3), pages 439-456, November.
    4. Breembroek, J. A. & Koole, B. & Poppe, K. J. & Wossink, G. A. A., 1996. "Environmental farm accounting: The case of the dutch nutrients accounting system," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 29-40.
    5. Stijn Reinhard & C. A. Knox Lovell & Geert Thijssen, 2002. "Analysis of Environmental Efficiency Variation," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 84(4), pages 1054-1065.
    6. B. A. Larson & H. Vroomen, 1991. "Nitrogen, Phosphorus And Land Demands At The Us Regional Level: A Primal Approach," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(3), pages 354-364, September.
    7. Fare, Rolf, et al, 1993. "Derivation of Shadow Prices for Undesirable Outputs: A Distance Function Approach," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 75(2), pages 374-380, May.
    8. Alfons Weersink & Calum G. Turvey & Abdulahi Godah, 1990. "Decomposition Measures of Technical Efficiency for Ontario Dairy Farms," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 38(4), pages 1023-1023, December.
    9. repec:bla:ecorec:v:76:y:2000:i:233:p:152-62 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Hristos Doucouliagos & Phillip Hone, 2000. "Deregulation and Subequilibrium in the Australian Dairy Processing Industry," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 76(233), pages 152-162, June.
    11. Vroomen, Harry & Larson, Bruce, 1991. "A direct approach for estimating Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and land demands at the regional level," Technical Bulletins 312320, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    12. repec:bla:canjag:v:38:y:1990:i:4:p:1023-1023:2 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Fare, Rolf, et al, 1989. "Multilateral Productivity Comparisons When Some Outputs Are Undesirable: A Nonparametric Approach," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 71(1), pages 90-98, February.
    14. 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.
    15. Daniel Tyteca, 1997. "Linear Programming Models for the Measurement of Environmental Performance of Firms—Concepts and Empirical Results," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 183-197, May.
    16. Callens, Isabelle & Tyteca, Daniel, 1999. "Towards indicators of sustainable development for firms: A productive efficiency perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 41-53, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Watson, Alistair S., 2005. "Productivity and the Dairy Industry," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 13.
    2. Emilio Galdeano‐Gómez & José Céspedes‐Lorente & Manuel Rodríguez‐Rodríguez, 2006. "Productivity and Environmental Performance in Marketing Cooperatives: An Analysis of the Spanish Horticultural Sector," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(3), pages 479-500, September.
    3. Ana Rodríguez-Álvarez & Ignacio Rosal & José Baños-Pino, 2007. "The cost of strikes in the Spanish mining sector: modelling an undesirable input with a distance function," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 73-83, February.
    4. Zainab Bibi & Dilawar Khan & Ihtisham ul Haq, 2021. "Technical and environmental efficiency of agriculture sector in South Asia: a stochastic frontier analysis approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 9260-9279, June.

    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. María Pérez Urdiales & Alfons Oude Lansink & Alan Wall, 2016. "Eco-efficiency Among Dairy Farmers: The Importance of Socio-economic Characteristics and Farmer Attitudes," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 64(4), pages 559-574, August.
    2. Alfons Oude Lansink & Alan Wall, 2014. "Frontier models for evaluating environmental efficiency: an overview," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 3(1), pages 43-50.
    3. Soledad Moya & Jordi Perramon & Anselm Constans, 2005. "IFRS Adoption in Europe: The Case of Germany," Working Papers 0501, Departament Empresa, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, revised Feb 2005.
    4. Magambo, Isaiah & Dikgang, Johane & Gelo, Dambala & Tregenna, Fiona, 2021. "Environmental and Technical Efficiency in Large Gold Mines in Developing Countries," MPRA Paper 108068, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Pantzios, Christos J. & Rozakis, Stelios & Tzouvelekas, Vangelis, 2006. "Evading Farm Support Reduction via Efficient Input Use: The Case of Greek Cotton Growers," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(3), pages 555-574, December.
    6. Galdeano-Gomez, Emilio & Cespedes-Lorente, Jose & Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Manuel, 2006. "Productivity and Environmental Performance in Marketing Cooperatives: Incentive Schemes on the Horticultural Sector," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25738, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Graham, Mary, 2009. "Developing a social perspective to farm performance analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(8-9), pages 2390-2398, June.
    8. César Salazar & Roberto Cárdenas-Retamal & Marcela Jaime, 2023. "Environmental efficiency in the salmon industry—an exploratory analysis around the 2007 ISA virus outbreak and subsequent regulations in Chile," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8107-8135, August.
    9. Hoang, Viet-Ngu & Nguyen, Trung Thanh, 2013. "Analysis of environmental efficiency variations: A nutrient balance approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 37-46.
    10. Ana Rodríguez-Álvarez & Ignacio Rosal & José Baños-Pino, 2007. "The cost of strikes in the Spanish mining sector: modelling an undesirable input with a distance function," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 73-83, February.
    11. Andrés J. Picazo-Tadeo & Diego Prior, 2005. "Efficiency and Environmental Regulation: A "Complex Situation"," Working Papers 0502, Departament Empresa, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, revised Feb 2005.
    12. Reinhard, Stijn & Knox Lovell, C. A. & Thijssen, Geert J., 2000. "Environmental efficiency with multiple environmentally detrimental variables; estimated with SFA and DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(2), pages 287-303, March.
    13. Skevas, Theodoros & Lansink, Alfons Oude & Stefanou, Spiro E., 2012. "Measuring technical efficiency in the presence of pesticide spillovers and production uncertainty: The case of Dutch arable farms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 223(2), pages 550-559.
    14. Hoang, Viet-Ngu & Coelli, Tim, 2011. "Measurement of agricultural total factor productivity growth incorporating environmental factors: A nutrients balance approach," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 462-474.
    15. Lauwers, Ludwig, 2009. "Justifying the incorporation of the materials balance principle into frontier-based eco-efficiency models," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1605-1614, April.
    16. Fraser, Iain & Graham, Mary, 2005. "Efficiency Measurement of Australian Dairy Farms: National and Regional Performance," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 13.
    17. Zhou, Peng & Poh, Kim Leng & Ang, Beng Wah, 2007. "A non-radial DEA approach to measuring environmental performance," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 178(1), pages 1-9, April.
    18. Ambec, Stefan & Barla, Philippe, 2001. "Productivité et réglementation environnementale: une analyse de l'hypothèse de Porter," Cahiers de recherche 0107, Université Laval - Département d'économique.
    19. Abedullah & Tariq A Sheikh & Haseeb Ali & Shahzad Kouser**, 2012. "Enviornmental Efficiency in Vegetable production in Pakistan Implication for Sustainable agriculture," Pakistan Journal of Applied Economics, Applied Economics Research Centre, vol. 22, pages 77-99.
    20. Diego Prior, 2006. "Efficiency and total quality management in health care organizations: A dynamic frontier approach," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 281-299, July.

    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:dkn:econwp:eco_2004_02. 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: Xueli Tang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sedeaau.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.