IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i4p1344-d319703.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards Cleaner Production: Certified Seed Adoption and Its Effect on Technical Efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Muratbek Baglan

    (College of Economics and Management, China Center for Food Security Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, No. 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso

    (College of Economics and Management, China Center for Food Security Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, No. 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, China
    School of Natural Resources, Copperbelt University, Kitwe 10101, Zambia
    Department of Agriculture and Agribusiness, Prince G Academy and Consultancy, Kabwe 10101, Zambia)

  • Xue Zhou

    (College of Economics and Management, China Center for Food Security Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, No. 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Xianhui Geng

    (College of Economics and Management, China Center for Food Security Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, No. 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, China)

Abstract

The implementation of new agricultural technologies has become a driving force for cleaner production on smallholder farms. Particularly, identifying technologies could enhance the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural production, both of which are serious challenges. In this context, evaluating the adoption of certified seed and its impact on efficiency gains and waste reduction is highly fundamental for sustainable smallholder food production. This perspective was not always considered in previous studies. We address this research gap using cross-sectional data from wheat farmers in northern Kazakhstan. A multi-stage sampling procedure is employed while the sample-selection stochastic production frontier (SPF) is applied for a robust estimation. Results reveal that increased crop income, access to credit and education positively influence the adoption of certified seed while membership in cooperatives and distance from the market are negative determinants. We also find that adopters are 10.3% “cleaner in production” than non-adopters. A comparison was made between the conventional SPF and the sample-selection SPF to evaluate the credibility of the estimation. It was found that the estimates from the conventional SPF were biased by 10%. This study provides insights into two policy and scholarly questions, namely, how effective the adoption of certified seeds is in promoting cleaner production among wheat farmers and how it can be promoted among wheat farmers. Therefore, our study presents substantial empirical evidence to encourage investment in or to promote certified seed adoption in wheat production.

Suggested Citation

  • Muratbek Baglan & Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Xue Zhou & Xianhui Geng, 2020. "Towards Cleaner Production: Certified Seed Adoption and Its Effect on Technical Efficiency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1344-:d:319703
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1344/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1344/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James J. Heckman, 1976. "The Common Structure of Statistical Models of Truncation, Sample Selection and Limited Dependent Variables and a Simple Estimator for Such Models," NBER Chapters, in: Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, Volume 5, number 4, pages 475-492, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2015. "Statistical Approaches for Non-parametric Frontier Models: A Guided Tour," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 83(1), pages 77-110, April.
    3. Daberkow, Stan G. & McBride, William D., 1998. "Socioeconomic Profiles of Early Adopters of Precision Agriculture Technologies," Journal of Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia, vol. 16(2), pages 1-18.
    4. Natalia Pimenta Monteiro, 2010. "Using propensity matching estimators to evaluate the impact of privatization on wages," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(10), pages 1293-1313.
    5. Mazvimavi, Kizito & Twomlow, Steve, 2009. "Socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing adoption of conservation farming by vulnerable households in Zimbabwe," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(1-2), pages 20-29, June.
    6. Ira Matuschke & Matin Qaim, 2009. "The impact of social networks on hybrid seed adoption in India," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(5), pages 493-505, September.
    7. Adesina, Akinwumi A. & Zinnah, Moses M., 1993. "Technology characteristics, farmers' perceptions and adoption decisions: A Tobit model application in Sierra Leone," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 9(4), pages 297-311, December.
    8. Hung-jen Wang & Peter Schmidt, 2002. "One-Step and Two-Step Estimation of the Effects of Exogenous Variables on Technical Efficiency Levels," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 129-144, September.
    9. Tadesse, Getaw & Bahiigwa, Godfrey, 2015. "Mobile Phones and Farmers’ Marketing Decisions in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 296-307.
    10. Boris Bravo-Ureta & William Greene & Daniel Solís, 2012. "Technical efficiency analysis correcting for biases from observed and unobserved variables: an application to a natural resource management project," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 55-72, August.
    11. John Strauss & Mariza Barbosa & Sonia Teixeira & Duncan Thomas & Raimundo Gomes Junior, 1991. "Role of education and extension in the adoption of technology: a study of upland rice and soybean farmers in Central‐West Brazil," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 5(4), pages 341-359, August.
    12. Bernard, Munyua & Hellin, Jonathan & Nyikal, Rose Adhiambo & Mburu, John G., 2010. "Determinants for Use of Certified Maize Seed and the Relative Importance of Transaction Costs," 2010 AAAE Third Conference/AEASA 48th Conference, September 19-23, 2010, Cape Town, South Africa 96423, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    13. Barbara Sianesi, 2001. "Propensity score matching," United Kingdom Stata Users' Group Meetings 2001 12, Stata Users Group, revised 23 Aug 2001.
    14. Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Shangao Wang & Sanzidur Rahman & Essiagnon John-Philippe Alavo & Xu Tian, 2019. "Agricultural Informatization and Technical Efficiency in Maize Production in Zambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-17, April.
    15. Auriol, Emmanuelle & Schilizzi, Steven G.M., 2015. "Quality signaling through certification in developing countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 105-121.
    16. Meng, Erika & Longmire, Jim & Moldashev, Altynbeck, 2000. "Kazakhstan's wheat system: priorities, constraints, and future prospects," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 701-717, December.
    17. Jongick Jang & Frayne Olson, 2010. "The role of product differentiation for contract choice in the agro-food sector," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Foundation for the European Review of Agricultural Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 251-273, June.
    18. Kumbhakar,Subal C. & Wang,Hung-Jen & Horncastle,Alan P., 2015. "A Practitioner's Guide to Stochastic Frontier Analysis Using Stata," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107609464, January.
    19. William Greene, 2006. "A General Approach to Incorporating Selectivity in a Model," Working Papers 06-10, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    20. Poornima Varma, 2018. "Adoption of System of Rice Intensification under Information Constraints: An Analysis for India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1838-1857, October.
    21. 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.
    22. Hailemariam Teklewold & Menale Kassie & Bekele Shiferaw, 2013. "Adoption of Multiple Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Rural Ethiopia," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(3), pages 597-623, September.
    23. Federico Belotti & Silvio Daidone & Giuseppe Ilardi & Vincenzo Atella, 2013. "Stochastic frontier analysis using Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 13(4), pages 718-758, December.
    24. Akinwumi A. Adesina & Moses M. Zinnah, 1993. "Technology characteristics, farmers' perceptions and adoption decisions: A Tobit model application in Sierra Leone," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 9(4), pages 297-311, December.
    25. James J. Heckman, 1976. "Introduction to "Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, Volume 5, number 4"," NBER Chapters, in: Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, Volume 5, number 4, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    26. Pavlova, Vera N. & Varcheva, Svetlana E. & Bokusheva, Raushan & Calanca, Pierluigi, 2014. "Modelling the effects of climate variability on spring wheat productivity in the steppe zone of Russia and Kazakhstan," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 277(C), pages 57-67.
    27. Shiferaw, Bekele & Kassie, Menale & Jaleta, Moti & Yirga, Chilot, 2014. "Adoption of improved wheat varieties and impacts on household food security in Ethiopia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 272-284.
    28. Asfaw, Abay & Admassie, Assefa, 2004. "The role of education on the adoption of chemical fertiliser under different socioeconomic environments in Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 215-228, May.
    29. Laure Latruffe & Kelvin Balcombe & Sophia Davidova & Katarzyna Zawalinska, 2004. "Determinants of technical efficiency of crop and livestock farms in Poland," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(12), pages 1255-1263.
    30. William Greene, 2010. "A stochastic frontier model with correction for sample selection," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 15-24, August.
    31. Liefert, William M. & Liefert, Olga & Vocke, Gary & Allen, Edward W., 2010. "Former Soviet Union Region To Play Larger Role in Meeting World Wheat Needs," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, pages 1-8.
    32. Pitt, Mark M. & Lee, Lung-Fei, 1981. "The measurement and sources of technical inefficiency in the Indonesian weaving industry," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 43-64, August.
    33. Keith O. Fuglie & Witono Adiyoga & Rini Asmunati & Sukendra Mahalaya & Rachman Suherman, 2006. "Farm demand for quality potato seed in Indonesia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 35(3), pages 257-266, November.
    34. Assefa, Admassie & Gezahegn, Ayele, 2011. "Adoption of Improved Technology in Ethiopia," Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Ethiopian Economics Association, vol. 19(1), pages 180-180, September.
    35. Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes & Richard Maltsbarger & James Barnes, 2001. "Global Identity Preservation Costs in Agricultural Supply Chains," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 49(4), pages 605-615, December.
    36. K. Kalirajan, 1981. "The Economic Efficiency of Farmers Growing High-Yielding, Irrigated Rice in India," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 63(3), pages 566-570.
    37. Mathenge, Mary K. & Smale, Melinda & Olwande, John, 2014. "The impacts of hybrid maize seed on the welfare of farming households in Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 262-271.
    38. Feder, Gershon & Lau, Lawrence J. & Lin, Justin Y. & Xiaopeng, Luo, 1989. "Agricultural credit and farm performance in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 508-526, December.
    39. repec:zwi:journl:v:43:y:2012:i:1:p:55-72 is not listed on IDEAS
    40. Aigner, Dennis & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Peter, 1977. "Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 21-37, July.
    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. Saleh Md. Arman & Cecilia Mark-Herbert, 2021. "Re-Commerce to Ensure Circular Economy from Consumer Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.
    2. Runqi Lun & Qiyou Luo & Mingjie Gao & Guojing Li & Tengda Wei, 2023. "How to Break the Bottleneck of Potato Production Sustainable Growth—A Survey from Potato Main Producing Areas in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Rafay Waseem & Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Faria Waseem & Humayoon Khan & Ghulam Mustafa Panhwar & Yangyan Shi, 2020. "Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Practices in Banana Farm Production: A Study from the Sindh Region of Pakistan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-14, May.

    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. Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Shangao Wang & Sanzidur Rahman & Essiagnon John-Philippe Alavo & Xu Tian, 2019. "Agricultural Informatization and Technical Efficiency in Maize Production in Zambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Orkhan Guliyev & Aijun Liu & Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Jarkko Niemi, 2019. "The Determinants of Technical Efficiency of Hazelnut Production in Azerbaijan: An Analysis of the Role of NGOs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Abubakar Rasheed & Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Qasir Abbas & Xu Tian & Rafay Waseem, 2020. "Women Participation: A Productivity Strategy in Rice Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Mamonov Mikhail E. & Parmeter Christopher F. & Prokhorov Artem B., 2022. "Dependence modeling in stochastic frontier analysis," Dependence Modeling, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 123-144, January.
    5. Luis Antonio Galiano Bastarrica & Eva M. Buitrago Esquinas & María Ángeles Caraballo Pou & Rocío Yñiguez Ovando, 2023. "Environmental adjustment of the EU27 GDP: an econometric quantitative model," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 115-128, March.
    6. 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.
    7. Subal C. Kumbhakar & Christopher F. Parmeter & Valentin Zelenyuk, 2022. "Stochastic Frontier Analysis: Foundations and Advances I," Springer Books, in: Subhash C. Ray & Robert G. Chambers & Subal C. Kumbhakar (ed.), Handbook of Production Economics, chapter 8, pages 331-370, Springer.
    8. Federica VIGANO & Andrea SALUSTRI, 2015. "Matching profit and Non-profit Needs: How NPOs and Cooperative Contribute to Growth in Time of Crisis. A Quantitative Approach," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 86(1), pages 157-178, March.
    9. Keller, Michael, 2020. "Wasted windfalls: Inefficiencies in health care spending in oil rich countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    10. Danuse Nerudova & Marian Dobranschi, 2019. "Alternative method to measure the VAT gap in the EU: Stochastic tax frontier model approach," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-38, January.
    11. Gralka, Sabine, 2018. "Stochastic frontier analysis in higher education: A systematic review," CEPIE Working Papers 05/18, Technische Universität Dresden, Center of Public and International Economics (CEPIE).
    12. Wang, Anbang & He, Ke & Zhang, Junbiao & Zeng, Yangmei, 2021. "Green Production Technologies and Technical Efficiency of Rice Farmers in China: A Case Study of Straw-Derived Biochar," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315026, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Xu Tian & Xianhui Geng, 2020. "Rethinking Food Production: Nexus of Mobile Phones and Production Cost Minimization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-12, April.
    14. Varma, Poornima, 2017. "Adoption of System of Rice Intensification and its Impact on Rice Yields and Household Income: An Analysis for India," IIMA Working Papers WP2017-02-03, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    15. Sebastian Linde, 2023. "Hospital cost efficiency: an examination of US acute care inpatient hospitals," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 325-344, September.
    16. Giovanni Marin & Alessandro Palma, 2015. "Technology invention and diffusion in residential energy consumption. A stochastic frontier approach," IEFE Working Papers 81, IEFE, Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    17. Varma, P., 2018. "Adoption and the Impact of System of Rice Intensification on Rice Yields and Household Income: A study for India," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 275986, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Bao Hoang Nguyen & Robin C. Sickles & Valentin Zelenyuk, 2021. "What do we know from the vast literature on efficiency and productivity in healthcare? A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis," CEPA Working Papers Series WP092021, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    19. Efecan, Volkan & Temiz, İzzettin, 2023. "Assessing the technical efficiency of container ports based on a non-monotonic inefficiency effects model," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    20. Mattsson, Pontus, 2019. "The impact of labour subsidies on total factor productivity and profit per employee," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 325-341.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1344-:d:319703. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.