This study entails an analysis of the technical efficiency of natural rubber production by state farms in Vietnam. A time-varying stochastic frontier production function model for unbalanced data is estimated for 33 farms. Individual farm technical efficiencies are reported and discussed. One of...

We use structural equation modelling to conduct a path analysis for cacao production in West Sumatra, Indonesia, quantifying the main constraints identified by farmers attempting to increase their incomes. Stakeholders in a workshop identified low yield of cacao trees and low quality of cacao...

Productivity change and real returns to resources are measured for a sample of farms in south-west Victoria that produce beef. A stochastic frontier production model is estimated from which annual production frontiers and individual farm technical inefficiencies are calculated during the survey...

We estimate total factor productivity in wool production spatially across benchmarked farms in four climatic areas in Eastern Australia. Estimates are decomposed into an environment-technology gap and technical efficiency relative to the production possibilities in each area. The...

Mounter et al. (2007) developed an equilibrium displacement model (EDM) of the Australian sheepmeat and wool industries. In this paper the EDM is used to estimate the potential annual returns and their distribution among the various industry sectors for nine hypothetical investment scenarios....

In this paper, we assess the potential for rehabilitation of comparative analysis under its new guise of benchmarking. After a brief description of comparative analysis, we discuss the deficiencies that surrounded its fall in reputation: neglect of economic principles, limited scope for action,...

The aim in this note is to reintroduce the single factoral terms of trade into the policy arena. This economic concept has scarcely been used by analysts or policy makers over the past three decades. It is defined and compared favourably with other terms of trade concepts in terms of their...

Smallholder farming systems in Papua New Guinea are characterised by an integrated set of cash cropping and subsistence food cropping activities. In the Highlands provinces, the subsistence food crop sub-system is dominated by sweet potato production. Coffee dominates the cash cropping...

This report documents the specification of an equilibrium displacement model (EDM) of the Australian sheep and wool industries. The model is capable of estimating and comparing the potential benefits from R&D and generic promotion investments, and other policy changes, in the different sectors...

Smallholders increasingly combine shrimp culture with the more traditional rice enterprise in regions of Thailand suitable for raising shrimps. They can exploit cost complementarities in production by combining activities in these enterprises within their farming systems. At the same time, it...