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A Within-Farm Efficiency Comparison of Silvopasture Systems with Conventional Pasture and Forestry in Northeast Argentina

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Listed:
  • Gregory E. Frey
  • Hugo E. Fassola
  • A. Nahuel Pachas
  • Luis Colcombet
  • Santiago M. Lacorte
  • Mitch Renkow
  • Oscar Pérez
  • Frederick W. Cubbage

Abstract

Agroforestry, which has multiple inputs and outputs, would benefit from scrutiny of economic efficiency because levels of adoption have not met expectations. Previous literature estimated the efficiency of agricultural systems using data envelopment analysis; however, the vast variability between farms makes comparing systems difficult. This study uses paired, within-farm comparisons of silvopasture, a combination of planted trees and pasture, to conventional cattle-ranching and plantation forestry, to evaluate the relative technical efficiency. Silvopasture proves to be more efficient than conventional cattle-ranching. Forestry demonstrated increasing returns to scale, cattle-raising demonstrated decreasing returns to scale for large-scale farmers, and silvopasture was intermediate.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory E. Frey & Hugo E. Fassola & A. Nahuel Pachas & Luis Colcombet & Santiago M. Lacorte & Mitch Renkow & Oscar Pérez & Frederick W. Cubbage, 2012. "A Within-Farm Efficiency Comparison of Silvopasture Systems with Conventional Pasture and Forestry in Northeast Argentina," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 88(4), pages 639-657.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:landec:v:88:y:2012:iv:1:p:639-657
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Shunji Oniki & Melaku Berhe & Koichi Takenaka, 2020. "Efficiency Impact of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, May.
    2. Frey, Gregory E. & Cubbage, Frederick W. & Holmes, Thomas P. & Reyes-Retana, Graciela & Davis, Robert R. & Megevand, Carole & Rodríguez-Paredes, Diana & Kraus-Elsin, Yoanna & Hernández-Toro, Berenice , 2019. "Competitiveness, certification, and support of timber harvest by community forest enterprises in Mexico," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Luis A. De los Santos‐Montero & Boris E. Bravo‐Ureta, 2017. "Productivity effects and natural resource management: econometric evidence from POSAF‐II in Nicaragua," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(4), pages 220-233, November.
    4. Han, Xue & Frey, Gregory E. & Geng, Yude & Cubbage, Frederick W. & Zhang, Zhaohui, 2018. "Reform and efficiency of state-owned forest enterprises in Northeast China as “social firms”," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 18-33.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products

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