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Total Factor Productivity in Agriculture in a small and natural resources abundant economy. The case of Uruguay

Author

Listed:
  • Pablo Castro

    (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía)

  • Henry Willebald

    (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía)

Abstract

This article presents a long-run estimate of total factor productivity (TFP) in Uruguayan agriculture for the period 1870–2016. Drawing on a growth accounting framework and the construction of a new historical dataset, it provides homogeneous and consistent estimates of TFP for the agricultural sector as a whole and for its main subsectors: crops and livestock. The analysis situates productivity dynamics within the broader trajectory of national development, highlighting the interaction between technological change, institutional arrangements, and international integration. The findings identify three interrelated long-term patterns: cycles of modernization associated with waves of technological adoption and external integration; prolonged episodes of adaptive stagnation, during which growth relied primarily on the extensive use of natural resources; and alternating sectoral divergence between crops and livestock, linked to differentiated technological and institutional regimes. Overall, agricultural TFP grew at an average annual rate lower than 1% between 1870 and 2016, reflecting a discontinuous path of innovation rather than a linear process of progress. Efficiency gains materialized when institutions, policies, and markets were coherently aligned, and stalled when such conditions weakened. By combining long-run TFP measurement with historical interpretation, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the structural determinants of agricultural productivity and of the role of the agricultural sector in Uruguay’s economic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Pablo Castro & Henry Willebald, 2026. "Total Factor Productivity in Agriculture in a small and natural resources abundant economy. The case of Uruguay," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 04-26, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulr:wpaper:dt-04-26
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    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/53683
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bertola, Luis & Ocampo, Jose Antonio, 2012. "The Economic Development of Latin America since Independence," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199662142.
    2. repec:idb:brikps:439 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Jos� Antonio Ocampo & Juliana Vallejo, 2012. "Economic Growth, Equity and Human Development in Latin America," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 107-133, February.
    4. George E. Battese & D. S. Prasada Rao, 2002. "Technology Gap, Efficiency, and a Stochastic Metafrontier Function," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 1(2), pages 87-93, August.
    5. Ang, Frederic & Kerstens, Pieter Jan, 2017. "Decomposing the Luenberger–Hicks–Moorsteen Total Factor Productivity indicator: An application to U.S. agriculture," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 260(1), pages 359-375.
    6. repec:ecr:col032:36780 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • N56 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services

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