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Technical and environmental efficiencies and best management practices in agriculture

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  • Lota D. Tamini
  • Bruno Larue
  • Gale West

Abstract

An Input Distance Function (IDF) is estimated to empirically evaluate and analyse the technical and environmental efficiencies of 210 farms located in the Chaudière watershed (Quebec), where water quality problems are particularly acute because of the production of undesirable outputs that are jointly produced with agricultural products. The true IDF is approximated by a flexible translog functional form estimated using a full information maximum likelihood method. Technical and environmental efficiencies are disaggregated across farms and account for spatial variations. Our results show that there is a significant correlation between the two efficiencies. The IDF is used to compute the cumulative Malmquist productivity index and the Fisher index. The two indices are used to measure changes in technology, profitability, efficiency and productivity in response to the adoption of two selected Best Management Practices (BMPs) whose objective is to reduce water pollution. We found significant differences across BMPs regarding the direction and the magnitude of their effect.

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  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:44:y:2012:i:13:p:1659-1672
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2010.548789
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    Cited by:

    1. Rosemarie Bégin & Lota D. Tamini & Maurice Doyon, 2014. "L'effet du travail hors-ferme sur l'efficacité technique des fermes laitières québécoises: un modèle intégrant les biais de sélection sur les observables et inobservables," Cahiers de recherche CREATE 2014-9, CREATE.
    2. Dakpo, K Hervé & Lansink, Alfons Oude, 2019. "Dynamic pollution-adjusted inefficiency under the by-production of bad outputs," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(1), pages 202-211.
    3. AJ A. Bostian & Moriah B. Bostian & Marita Laukkanen & Antti Simola, 2020. "Assessing the productivity consequences of agri-environmental practices when adoption is endogenous," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 141-162, April.
    4. M.K. Ndegue Fongue & Lota D. Tamini & B. Larue & G.E. West, 2014. "Efficiences technique et environnementale en agriculture: le cas du bassin de la rivière Chaudière au Québec," Cahiers de recherche CREATE 2014-10, CREATE.
    5. 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.
    6. Ndegue Fongue, M.K., 2014. "Efficiences technique et environnementale en agriculture: le cas du bassin de la rivière Chaudière au Québec," Working Papers 187234, University of Laval, Center for Research on the Economics of the Environment, Agri-food, Transports and Energy (CREATE).
    7. Ali D. Cagdas & Scott R. Jeffrey & Elwin G. Smith & Peter C. Boxall, 2016. "Environmental Stewardship and Technical Efficiency in Canadian Prairie Canola Production," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 64(3), pages 455-477, September.
    8. María Molinos-Senante & Alexandros Maziotis & Ramon Sala-Garrido, 2017. "Assessment of the Total Factor Productivity Change in the English and Welsh Water Industry: a Färe-Primont Productivity Index Approach," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(8), pages 2389-2405, June.
    9. Reijnders, L., 2014. "Phosphorus resources, their depletion and conservation, a review," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 32-49.
    10. West, Steele, 2021. "The Estimation of Farm Business Inefficiency in the Presence of Debt Repayment," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315048, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Lota D. Tamini & Bruno Larue & Gale E. West & Moise K.Ndegue Fongue, 2016. "Agricultural production and pollutant runoffs in QuŽbecÕs Chaudi re river watershed: what are the potential environmental gains?," Cahiers de recherche CREATE 2016-2, CREATE.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects
    • C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water

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