RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY INDEX AND TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY: CASE STUDY OF WHEAT-GROWING FARMERS IN SAMARKAND REGION

Ilashov Bakhtinur

Authors

Ilashov Bakhtinur PhD student of Samarkand Agroinnovations and Research University

Keywords:

technical efficiency, environmental sustainability, SFA, Tobit model, sustainable agriculture.

Abstract

In this study, the relationship between environmental sustainability level and technical efficiency of farmers in Samarkand region was investigated. The Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) was constructed using primary data from 300 wheat-producing farmers. Utilizing the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier model, technical efficiency of farmers was estimated, and Tobit regression was used to learn their determinants. A marginally negative relationship between farmers ESI and technical efficiency was identified based on the results. The findings highlight that sustainability strategies based on local context and supporting sustainable intensification are important for sustainable growth in agriculture sector.

References

ADB. (2021). Uzbekistan: Agriculture Sector Review. Asian Development Bank.

Ait Sidhoum, A., Dakpo, K. H., & Latruffe, L. (2022). Trade-offs between economic, environmental and social sustainability on farms using a latent class frontier efficiency model: Evidence for Spanish crop farms. PLoS One, 17(1), e0261190.

Babakholov, S. (2024). Perceptions towards Climate Change, Water Scarcity and Adaptation Strategies: Case of the Zerafshan River Basin in Uzbekistan. Italian Review of Agricultural Economics (REA).

Baksh, K., Khan, M. S., & Fatima, N. (2020). Assessing the impact of sustainable agricultural practices on efficiency in Pakistan. Sustainability, 12(9), 3870.

Balasubramanian, V., Adhya, T. K., Ladha, J. K., Hershey, C., & Neate, P. (2013). Enhancing eco-efficiency in the intensive cereal-based systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Eco-efficiency: From vision to reality. CIAT, Cali, Colombia, 2013, 99-115.

Battese, G. E., & Coelli, T. J. (1995). A model for technical inefficiency effects in a stochastic frontier production function for panel data. Empirical Economics, 20(2), 325–332.

Bravo-Ureta, B. E., & Pinheiro, A. E. (1997). Technical, economic, and allocative efficiency in peasant farming: Evidence from the Dominican Republic. The Developing Economies, 35(1), 48–67.

Coelli, T. J., Rao, D. S. P., O’Donnell, C. J., & Battese, G. E. (2005). An Introduction to Efficiency and Productivity Analysis (2nd ed.). Springer.

FAO, I.F.A.D., & UNICEF, W.F.P. and WHO. (2020). The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2020. FAO, Rome

FAO. (2022). The State of Food and Agriculture 2022: Leveraging automation in agriculture for transforming agrifood systems. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Karimov, A. A. (2014). Factors affecting efficiency of crop production and resource use in Uzbekistan. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 3(27), 23–28.

Khanal, A. R., Gillespie, J., & MacDonald, J. (2018). Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and technical efficiency of US dairy farms. Sustainability, 10(10), 3740.

Kumbhakar, S. C., & Lovell, C. K. (2003). Stochastic frontier analysis. Cambridge university press.

Lansink, A. O., & Silva, E. (2003). CO2 and energy efficiency of different heating technologies in Dutch greenhouse horticulture. Environmental and Resource Economics, 24(4), 395–407.

Liu, J., Zhang, C., Hu, R., Zhu, X., & Cai, J. (2019). Aging of agricultural labor force and technical efficiency in tea production: Evidence from Meitan County, China. Sustainability, 11(22), 6246.