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The relationship between technical efficiency in agriculture and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

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  • Sébastien Marchand

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - UdA - Université d'Auvergne - Clermont-Ferrand I - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of agricultural technical efficiency on the propensity of farmers to convert natural land into agricultural plots, i.e., to deforest, in the Brazilian Legal Amazon (BLA). A two-step econometric approach is adopted. A bootstrapped translog stochastic frontier that is a posteriori checked for functional consistency is used to assess technical efficiency and these estimates are put into a land-use model to assess the impact of productivity on deforestation. Analysis of agricultural census tract data suggests that technical efficiency has a U-shaped effect: both less and more efficient farms use more land for their agricultural activities and so have a positive effect on deforestation. However, the majority of farms in the BLA are on the ascendant slope, so that efficiency implies more deforestation in the BLA. The poor environmental valuation of the Brazilian forest, the uneven land distribution, and the problem of the de facto openly accessed forested and "unproductive" lands in the BLA could explain the U-shaped effect of technical efficiency on the conversion of forested land into agricultural land.

Suggested Citation

  • Sébastien Marchand, 2012. "The relationship between technical efficiency in agriculture and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon," Post-Print halshs-00691481, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00691481
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    Cited by:

    1. Caviglia-Harris, Jill L., 2018. "Agricultural innovation and climate change policy in the Brazilian Amazon: Intensification practices and the derived demand for pasture," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 232-248.
    2. Takahashi, Ryo & Otsuka, Keijiro & Tilahun, Mesfin & Birhane, Emiru & Holden, Stein, 2024. "Beyond Ostrom: Randomized experiment of the impact of individualized tree rights on forest management in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    3. Zhe Zhao & Yuping Bai & Xiangzheng Deng & Jiancheng Chen & Jian Hou & Zhihui Li, 2020. "Changes in Livestock Grazing Efficiency Incorporating Grassland Productivity: The Case of Hulun Buir, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-13, November.
    4. Matteo Coronese & Martina Occelli & Francesco Lamperti & Andrea Roventini, 2024. "Towards sustainable agriculture: behaviors, spatial dynamics and policy in an evolutionary agent-based model," LEM Papers Series 2024/05, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    5. Ferreira, Marcelo Dias Paes & Féres, José Gustavo, 2020. "Farm size and Land use efficiency in the Brazilian Amazon," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    6. Sheryle S. Hamid & Marcos Antônio S. dos Santos & Albert F. Aguiar & Tanice Andreatta & Nilson L. Costa & Maria Lúcia B. Lopes & José de B. Lourenço-Júnior, 2023. "Changes and Factors Determining the Efficiency of Cattle Farming in the State of Pará, Brazilian Amazon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Júlia Graziela da Silveira & Sílvio Nolasco de Oliveira Neto & Ana Carolina Barbosa do Canto & Fernanda Figueiredo Granja Dorilêo Leite & Fernanda Reis Cordeiro & Luís Tadeu Assad & Gabriela Cristina , 2022. "Land Use, Land Cover Change and Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture and Livestock in the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-23, February.
    8. Bernhard Dalheimer & Christoph Kubitza & Bernhard Brümmer, 2022. "Technical efficiency and farmland expansion: Evidence from oil palm smallholders in Indonesia," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(4), pages 1364-1387, August.
    9. Petterson Molina Vale, 2015. "The Conservation versus Production Trade-off: Does Livestock Intensification Increase Deforestation? The Case of the Brazilian Amazon," Working Papers 2015.20, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    10. Thiago Fonseca Morello & Rossano M. Ramos & Liana O. Anderson & Thais M. Rosan - Lara Steil, 2018. "Predicting Amazon Fires For Policy Making," Anais do XLIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 44th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 184, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    11. Ferreira, M. & Feres, J.G., 2018. "Farm Size and Productive Efficiency in Brazilian Amazon," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277289, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Fonseca Morello, Thiago & Marchetti Ramos, Rossano & O. Anderson, Liana & Owen, Nathan & Rosan, Thais Michele & Steil, Lara, 2020. "Predicting fires for policy making: Improving accuracy of fire brigade allocation in the Brazilian Amazon," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    13. Petterson Molina Vale, 2014. "The conservation versus production trade-off: does livestock intensification increase deforestation? Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon," GRI Working Papers 174, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    14. Xiuzhi Chen & Yue Hou & Thomas Kastner & Liu Liu & Yuqian Zhang & Tuo Yin & Mo Li & Arunima Malik & Mengyu Li & Kelly R. Thorp & Siqi Han & Yaoze Liu & Tahir Muhammad & Jianguo Liu & Yunkai Li, 2023. "Physical and virtual nutrient flows in global telecoupled agricultural trade networks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    15. Huang, Wei & Bruemmer, Bernhard & Huntsinger, Lynn, 2016. "Incorporating measures of grassland productivity into efficiency estimates for livestock grazing on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 1-11.
    16. Tateishi, Henrique Ryosuke & Bragagnolo, Cassiano & Almeida, Alexandre Nunes de, 2021. "Forest, agriculture and land conversion: Environmental efficiency in Brazilian Amazon rainforest," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).

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