Can Cooperative Behavior Improve Farmers′ Technical Efficiency?

Abstract

Based on the micro-survey data of 245 Whiteleg shrimp farmers in Shandong Province and Jiangsu Province, the technical efficiency of farmers was quantitatively measured by random frontier production function. Then the Tobit model was used to analyze the influence of farmers′ cooperative behavior on the technical efficiency of Whiteleg shrimp aquaculture. The results showed that farmers′ participation in cooperatives, cooperation with leading enterprises and participation in industry associations has significantly improved the technical efficiency, while engaging in order production has no obvious effect on the technical efficiency. In addition, higher levels of education and intensive land production were more conducive to technological efficiency.

Keywords

• production technology efficiency
• stochastic frontier
• farmer cooperation
• order production