Metafrontier Analysis of Technology Gap and Productivity Difference in African Agriculture

Nkamleu, Guy Blaise and Nyemeck, Joachim and Sanogo, Diakalia (2006): Metafrontier Analysis of Technology Gap and Productivity Difference in African Agriculture. Published in: Journal of Agriculture and Food Economics , Vol. 1, No. 2 (December 2006): pp. 111-120.

Abstract

Agricultural productivity in Africa from 1971 to 2000 is examined using the recently developed metafrontier function technique, for the purpose of studying differences in efficiency and technology gap across different regions of the continent. The results support the view that technology gap plays an important part in explaining the ability of agricultural sectors in one region to compete with agricultural sectors in different regions in Africa. The study has also evidenced that average technical efficiency score of the agricultural sector has been almost stable over time, while a marginal decrease of the productivity potential over the 30 years period was observed.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Agricultural productivity; Data Envelopment Analysis; Metafrontier function; Efficiency; Technology gap; Africa
• Subjects: N - Economic History > N5 - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Extractive Industries > N57 - Africa ; Oceania; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity > O47 - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth ; Aggregate Productivity ; Cross-Country Output Convergence; N - Economic History > N5 - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Extractive Industries > N55 - Asia including Middle East; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q10 - General

References

Battese, G.E. and Rao, D.S.P., 2002. Technology gap, efficiency, and a stochastic Metafrontier function. International Journal of Business and Economics 1(2): 87-93.

Coelli, Tim, 1996. A guide to DEAP version 2.1: A data envelopment analysis (computer) program. CEPA Working paper 96/08.

Coelli, T.J., Prasada, R.D.S. and Battese, G., 1998. Introduction to efficiency and productivity analysis. Kluver Academic Publisher, Boston

Fulginiti, Lilyan and Richard Perrin, 1998. “Agricultural productivity in developing countries”. Agricultural Economics 19 (1998) 45-51.

Hayami, Y. and Ruttan, V.W., 1970. Agricultural productivity differences among Countries. American Economic Review 60: 895-911.

Hayami, Y. and Ruttan, V.W., 1971. Agricultural Development: International perspective. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

Interacademy council, 2004. Realizing the promise and potential of African agriculture: Science and technology strategies for improving agricultural productivity and food security in Africa. Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Mundlak, Y. and Hellinghausen, R., 1982. The inter-county agricultural production function: Another view. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 64: 664-672.

Nkamleu, Guy Blaise, 2004a. Expliquer l’échec de la croissance de la productivité agricole en Afrique francophone: analyse non paramétrique de l’efficacité et du changement technologique du secteur agricole. Economie Rurale 279: 55-67.

Nkamleu, Guy .Blaise, 2004b. Productivity growth, technical progress and efficiency change in African agriculture. African Development Review No16, vol.1, pp. 203-222, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford, UK.

Nyemeck J. and G.B. Nkamleu (2006). Potentiel de Productivité et Efficacité Technique du Secteur Agricole en Afrique. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economic 54 (2006) 361-377.

Rao, D.S.P., 1993. Inter-country comparisons of agricultural output and productivity. Social and Economic Development Paper, No. 156 FAO.

Rao D.S.P. and Coelli T.J., 1998. Catch-Up and Convergence in Global Agricultural Productivity 1980-1995. CEPA Working Paper No 4/98.

Rao, D.S.P., O’donnell, J. and Battese, G.E., 2003. Metafrontier functions for the study of inter-regional productivity differences. Centre for Efficiency and Productivity Analysis Working Paper 1.

Sahn, David E., Dorosh, Paul A. and Younger, Stephen D., 1997. Structural adjustment reconsidered-Economy policy and poverty in Africa. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge university Press.

World Bank, 2003. A multi-country agricultural productivity program (mapp) for Africa. World Bank. Washington, DC.

World Bank, 2000. Can African claim the 21st century? Washington, DC: World Bank.