IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ewc/wpaper/wp79.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

How inefficient are small-scale rice farmers in eastern India really?: Examining the effects of microtopography on technical efficiency estimates

Author

Listed:
  • Nobuhiko Fuwa

    (Agricultural Economics, Chiba University)

  • Christopher Edmonds

    (Economics Study Area, East-West Center)

  • Pabitra Banik

    (Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India)

Abstract

We focus on the impact of failing to control for differences in land types defined along toposequence on estimates of farm technical efficiency for small-scale rice farms in eastern India. In contrast with the existing literature, we find that those farms may be considerably more technically efficient than they appear from more aggregated analysis without such control. Farms planted with modern rice varieties are technically efficient. Furthermore, farms planted with traditional rice varieties operate close to the production frontier on less productive lands (upland and mid-upland), but significant technical inefficiency exists on more productive lands (medium land and lowland).

Suggested Citation

  • Nobuhiko Fuwa & Christopher Edmonds & Pabitra Banik, 2005. "How inefficient are small-scale rice farmers in eastern India really?: Examining the effects of microtopography on technical efficiency estimates," Economics Study Area Working Papers 79, East-West Center, Economics Study Area.
  • Handle: RePEc:ewc:wpaper:wp79
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored/pdfs/ECONwp079.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gaurav Datt & Martin Ravallion, 2002. "Is India's Economic Growth Leaving the Poor Behind?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 89-108, Summer.
    2. Christian Ritter & Léopold Simar, 1997. "Pitfalls of Normal-Gamma Stochastic Frontier Models," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 167-182, May.
    3. Jondrow, James & Knox Lovell, C. A. & Materov, Ivan S. & Schmidt, Peter, 1982. "On the estimation of technical inefficiency in the stochastic frontier production function model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2-3), pages 233-238, August.
    4. George Battese & Sumiter Broca, 1997. "Functional Forms of Stochastic Frontier Production Functions and Models for Technical Inefficiency Effects: A Comparative Study for Wheat Farmers in Pakistan," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 8(4), pages 395-414, November.
    5. Tim Coelli & Sergio Perelman & Elliot Romano, 1999. "Accounting for Environmental Influences in Stochastic Frontier Models: With Application to International Airlines," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 251-273, June.
    6. Banik, Pabitra & Edmonds, Christopher & Fuwa, Nobuhiko & Kam, Suan Pheng & Villano, Lorena & Bagchi, D.K., 2004. "Natural Resource Endowments, Subsistence Agriculture, and Poverty in the Chhotanagpur Plateau," MPRA Paper 23692, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Meeusen, Wim & van den Broeck, Julien, 1977. "Efficiency Estimation from Cobb-Douglas Production Functions with Composed Error," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 18(2), pages 435-444, June.
    8. 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.
    9. Sherlund, Shane M. & Barrett, Christopher B. & Adesina, Akinwumi A., 2002. "Smallholder technical efficiency controlling for environmental production conditions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 85-101, October.
    10. K. Kalirajan, 1981. "An Econometric Analysis of Yield Variability in Paddy Production," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 29(3), pages 283-294, November.
    11. Battese, George E., 1992. "Frontier production functions and technical efficiency: a survey of empirical applications in agricultural economics," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 7(3-4), pages 185-208, October.
    12. Najma Sharif & Atul Dar, 1996. "An empirical study of the patterns and sources of technical inefficiency in traditional and HYV rice cultivation in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 612-629.
    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. Gauri Khanna, 2006. "Technical Efficiency in Production and Resource Use in Sugar Cane: A Stochastic Frontier Production Function Analysis," IHEID Working Papers 15-2006, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.

    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. Fuwa, Nobuhiko & Edmonds, Christopher M. & Banik, Pabitra, 2005. "How Inefficient Really Are the Small-Scale Rice Farmers in Eastern India?: Examining the Effects of Microtopography on the Estimation of Technical Efficiency," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19435, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    2. Abdul Wadud, 2013. "Impact of Microcredit on Agricultural Farm Performance and Food Security in Bangladesh," Working Papers 14, Institute of Microfinance (InM).
    3. Ali M. Oumer & Amin Mugera & Michael Burton & Atakelty Hailu, 2022. "Technical efficiency and firm heterogeneity in stochastic frontier models: application to smallholder maize farms in Ethiopia," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 213-241, April.
    4. Murthy, D. Sreenivasa & Sudha, M. & Hegde, M.R. & Dakshinamoorthy, V., 2009. "Technical Efficiency and its Determinants in Tomato Production in Karnataka, India: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Approach," Agricultural Economics Research Review, Agricultural Economics Research Association (India), vol. 22(2), July.
    5. Villano, Renato A. & Fleming, Euan M., 2004. "Analysis of Technical Efficiency in a Rainfed Lowland Rice Environment in Central Luzon Philippines Using a Stochastic Frontier Production Function with a Heteroskedastic Error Structure," Working Papers 12906, University of New England, School of Economics.
    6. Tim J. Coelli, 1995. "Recent Developments In Frontier Modelling And Efficiency Measurement," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 39(3), pages 219-245, December.
    7. Renato Villano & Euan Fleming, 2006. "Technical Inefficiency and Production Risk in Rice Farming: Evidence from Central Luzon Philippines," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 20(1), pages 29-46, March.
    8. Reddy, Mahendra, 2002. "Implication of Tenancy Status on Productivity and Efficiency: Evidence from Fiji," Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA), vol. 4, pages 1-20.
    9. Dhehibi, Boubaker & Lachaal, Lassaad & Elloumi, Mohamed & Messaoud, Emna B., 2007. "Measurement and Sources of Technical Inefficiency in the Tunisian Citrus Growing Sector," 103rd Seminar, April 23-25, 2007, Barcelona, Spain 9391, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. 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.
    11. Olli-Pekka Kuusela & Maria S. Bowman & Gregory S. Amacher & Richard B. Howarth & Nadine T. Laporte, 2020. "Does infrastructure and resource access matter for technical efficiency? An empirical analysis of fishing and fuelwood collection in Mozambique," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1811-1837, March.
    12. Yongil Jeon & Ishak Haji Omar & K. Kuperan & Dale Squires & Indah Susilowati, 2006. "Developing country fisheries and technical efficiency: the Java Sea purse seine fishery," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(13), pages 1541-1552.
    13. Anik, Asif Reza & Bauer, Siegfried, 2015. "Impact of resource ownership and input market access on Bangladeshi paddy growers’ efficiency," International Journal of Agricultural Management, Institute of Agricultural Management, vol. 4(3), April.
    14. Leppin Julian S., 2014. "The Estimation of Reservation Wages: A Simulation-Based Comparison," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 234(5), pages 603-634, October.
    15. Paul, Satya & Shankar, Sriram, 2018. "Modelling Efficiency Effects in a True Fixed Effects Stochastic Frontier," MPRA Paper 87437, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Anup Bhandari & Pradip Maiti, 2012. "Efficiency of the Indian leather firms: some results obtained using the two conventional methods," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 37(1), pages 73-93, February.
    17. Manlagnit, Maria Chelo V., 2015. "Basel regulations and banks’ efficiency: The case of the Philippines," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 72-85.
    18. Alecos Papadopoulos, 2021. "Stochastic frontier models using the Generalized Exponential distribution," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 15-29, February.
    19. Viveka P. Kudaligama & John F. Yanagida, 2000. "A Comparison of Intercountry Agricultural Production Functions: A Frontier Function Approach," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 25(1), pages 57-74, June.
    20. Satya Paul & Sriram Shankar, 2020. "Estimating efficiency effects in a panel data stochastic frontier model," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 163-180, April.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ewc:wpaper:wp79. 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: Brenda Higashimoto (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ewchius.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.