Total factor productivity growth in agriculture: a Malmquist index analysis of 93 countries, 1980–2000

Abstract

In this paper we examine levels and trends in agricultural output and productivity in 93 developed and developing countries that account for a major portion of the world population and agricultural output. We make use of data drawn from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and our study covers the period 1980-2000. Due to the non-availability of reliable input price data, the study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to derive Malmquist productivity indexes. The study examines trends in agricultural productivity over the period. Issues of catch-up and convergence, or in some cases possible divergence, in productivity in agriculture are examined within a global framework. The paper also derives the shadow prices and value shares that are implicit in the DEA-based Malmquist productivity indices, and examines the plausibility of their levels and trends over the study period.

Technical efficiency and total factor productivity changes in European dairy farm sectors

“…Secondly, the estimated frontier based on average farms for each country might differ from the real frontier derived from individual farms. On the other hand, aggregate output and input data have been involved in some efficiency analyses in agriculture, especially in case of Malmquist TFP Index estimation among more countries (Coelli and Prasada Rao 2005).…”

The Enigmas of TFP in China: A meta-analysis

“…In particular, both real and nominal values for inputs and outputs are used in the current literature. For instance, Liu and Wang (2003) and Jin (2006) use nominal values, 13 while most others use real values (e.g., Kalirajan et al, 1996;Woo, 1998;Coelli and Rao, 2005;Sun and Ren, 2005). In order to capture the impacts of prices on final TFPG estimates, we include a dummy variable to compare the studies using real values with those using nominal values.…”

Technical efficiency and its determinants in the European Union

“…Economists have been searching for the sources of changes in agricultural productivity and the diverse levels of efficiency between countries and regions (Coelli and Prasada Rao 2005). Problems encountered in this research area stem from the fact that the consequence of a more efficient use of production factors is the improvement of agricultural productivity (Dharmasiri 2011).…”