Abstract
Rice production holds a significant position in the Thai economy. Although it is the world’s largest rice exporter, Thailand’s increase in rice production is the result of an expansion in the cultivation area rather than an increase in yield per unit area. The present study was designed to estimate the technical efficiency and its governing factors for certified organic rice-growing farms in Yasothon Province, Thailand. A data envelopment model was employed to assess the technical efficiency of 328 farmer groups. The data revealed that the average technical efficiency was 23% and 28% under constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) specifications, respectively. Farmers can reduce the use of machinery, fertilizer, seed, and labor as input factors by about 80.1%, 25.62%, 24.72%, and 19.15%, respectively, while still achieving the same level of output. Multiple regression analysis was applied to estimate factors that affect the pure technical efficiency score (PTES) in the test regions. Results show that household size, farm size, water source, market accessibility, health symptoms, income, and labor were highly related to the TES and the amount of organic rice production. The regression coefficients of the predictors show that the income was the best predictor of the PTES at a significance level of p < 0.05. It is concluded that the farmers can potentially increase their yields by up to 72%–77% under current management practices.
Highlights
The excessive utilization of agrochemicals in conventional agricultural production settings can result in environmental degradation that threatens human health [1]
Technical efficiency reflects the ability of the production unit to produce the highest output from existing production factors or the potential to reduce the use of production factors
The results of this study indicate that certified organic rice-producing farms in Yasothon Province had an average organic rice production output of 2012.00 kg/ha
Summary
The excessive utilization of agrochemicals in conventional agricultural production settings can result in environmental degradation that threatens human health [1]. The continuous use of sole chemical fertilizers can exert several harmful effects on the soil environment, ground and surface water, and even the atmosphere, reducing the productivity of the soil by affecting its physical, chemical, and biological properties. The enhancement and maintenance of system productivity and resource use efficiency are essential for sustainable agriculture. It is well established that organic farming may solve these problems and has been considered one of the best options for protecting and sustaining soil health, and it is increasing in importance in present-day agriculture [2]. Many organic farming experiments have reported considerable improvements in soil physical quality and biological properties [3,4]. Organic agriculture enables ecosystems to better adjust to the changing climate while simultaneously improving the carbon sequestration potential of the soils [2]
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