This paper starts the debate regarding the likely impact of post-accession public support in the New Member States on their farming sector’s efficiency. While one aim of farm support in the European Union (EU) is to promote efficient farms that can compete internationally, a higher level of...

Household characteristics are commonly used to explain variation in smallholderefficiency levels. The underlying assumption is that differences in intended behaviorare well described by such variables, while there is no a priori reason that this is thecase. Moreover, heterogeneity in farmer...

This paper examines potential of contract farming as a rural development tool by revealing its effect on productivity and income of small holders in tea production in north-western Vietnam. In the present research, three economic analyses are applied. First, the technical efficiency of tea...

This paper examines potential of contract farming as a rural development tool by revealing its effect on productivity and income of small holders in tea production in north-western Vietnam. In the present research, three economic analyses are applied. First, the technical efficiency of tea...

The objective of this paper is to construct a framework for analyzing trade-offs between economic performance and environmental pressure at firm level. Based on a literature review, partially conflicting economic-environmental trade-off paradigms are structured and five necessary conditions for...

This paper evaluates the production and trade trends for maize and maize products in southern Africa, individual countries’ revealed comparative advantages in producing these products, and the expected implications of freer trade in this sector. The analysis employs mainly annual bilateral...

Commercial rice imports have accounted for approximately 61%, food aid in rice accounted for about 2%, and domestic rice accounted for some 37% per annum of rice consumption in Ghana over the four years between 2000 and 2003. Compared to the 1990s, these figures show a gradual decline in the...

Inter-firm differences in economic efficiency are major factors explaining differences in firm survival and growth and changes in industry structure. Thus, factors explaining differences in efficiency are of major interest to many involved in or affected by the industry. This study was...

This paper addresses the question how team production promotes efficiency of a firm when some inputs can be rewarded on the basis of outputs but some cannot because they are shared among outputs and non-separable. A multi-activity DEA model with variable returns to scale is proposed to provide...

A large proportion of the on-going reductions in global food prices are attributable to the efficiency gains associated with various ‘green revolutions’. Unfortunately the welfare gains associated with such productivity growth are unevenly distributed, with many African states reaping...