IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jageco/v76y2025i2p391-404.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effect of Land Fragmentation on Risk and Technical Efficiency of Austrian Crop Farms

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas Eder

Abstract

Using a 2007–2014 panel of Austrian crop farms, we analyse the effect of multiple dimensions of land fragmentation on farms' production efficiency and risk performance. We use data envelopment analysis (DEA), a non‐parametric linear programming approach, to estimate efficiencies. Technical efficiency is decomposed into (i) scale efficiency, (ii) pure technical efficiency and (iii) input‐mix efficiency. Risk efficiency, a concept borrowed from modern portfolio theory, measures the performance of a farm relative to a mean–variance frontier. A second‐stage DEA analysis reveals that farms with fewer plots and a shorter average farmstead to plot distance tend to be more technically efficient. Larger plots allow for better exploitation of returns to scale. The scattering of plots has no statistically significant effect on technical efficiency but provides benefits in terms of higher risk efficiency. Land consolidation projects should carefully weigh the costs and benefits associated with different dimensions of land fragmentation.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Eder, 2025. "The Effect of Land Fragmentation on Risk and Technical Efficiency of Austrian Crop Farms," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(2), pages 391-404, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jageco:v:76:y:2025:i:2:p:391-404
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-9552.12626
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12626
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1477-9552.12626?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
    ---><---

    More about this item

    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:bla:jageco:v:76:y:2025:i:2:p:391-404. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-857X .

    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.