Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiency
Potato is a traditional and economically important crop for farmers in the high mountainsof Nariño (Colombia). However, its productivity growth is weakening, injuring farmers’ livelihoods. We hypothesize that an in-depth study of farm typologies and their relationship with productive efficiency coul...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica)
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistacta.agrosavia.co/index.php/revista/article/view/2236/951 |
| _version_ | 1797332523744755712 |
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| author | Jose María Martínez Rubilma Tarazona-Velásquez Eliana Martínez-Pachón Housseman Steven Ramos-Zambrano |
| author_facet | Jose María Martínez Rubilma Tarazona-Velásquez Eliana Martínez-Pachón Housseman Steven Ramos-Zambrano |
| author_sort | Jose María Martínez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Potato is a traditional and economically important crop for farmers in the high mountainsof Nariño (Colombia). However, its productivity growth is weakening, injuring farmers’ livelihoods. We hypothesize that an in-depth study of farm typologies and their relationship with productive efficiency could prove helpful in delivering recommendations for sector improvement. With a representative sample of 1,018 farmers, this research used cluster methods to identify representative types of farming and then a stochastic frontier model to build a measure of potato production efficiency. Finally, it analyzed how technical efficiency behaves across the calculated types of farming. Results suggested that four kinds of farming describe potato production in Nariño: micro, small, medium, and large-scale. Most farmers are of the micro (71.8%) and small scale (23.8%), and their conditions are unfavorable in terms of access to technical assistance, credit, and improved production practices. Although these farmers report an average efficiency of 79% and 85%, respectively, there is still an opportunity for improvement. We close with a brief discussion that focuses on suggestions for future policy or research advances around these farmers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T07:50:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b485110bbfc343dbaafcd71b4e7157ef |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2500-5308 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T07:50:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria |
| spelling | doaj.art-b485110bbfc343dbaafcd71b4e7157ef2024-02-02T14:55:55ZengCorporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica)Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria2500-53082022-03-01232123https://doi.org/10.21930/rcta.vol23_num2_art:2236Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiencyJose María Martínez0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4464-2374Rubilma Tarazona-Velásquez1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4837-8024Eliana Martínez-Pachón2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5144-132XHousseman Steven Ramos-Zambrano3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7959-9834Michigan State UniversityCorporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria, [AGROSAVIA]Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria, [AGROSAVIA]Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria, [AGROSAVIA]Potato is a traditional and economically important crop for farmers in the high mountainsof Nariño (Colombia). However, its productivity growth is weakening, injuring farmers’ livelihoods. We hypothesize that an in-depth study of farm typologies and their relationship with productive efficiency could prove helpful in delivering recommendations for sector improvement. With a representative sample of 1,018 farmers, this research used cluster methods to identify representative types of farming and then a stochastic frontier model to build a measure of potato production efficiency. Finally, it analyzed how technical efficiency behaves across the calculated types of farming. Results suggested that four kinds of farming describe potato production in Nariño: micro, small, medium, and large-scale. Most farmers are of the micro (71.8%) and small scale (23.8%), and their conditions are unfavorable in terms of access to technical assistance, credit, and improved production practices. Although these farmers report an average efficiency of 79% and 85%, respectively, there is still an opportunity for improvement. We close with a brief discussion that focuses on suggestions for future policy or research advances around these farmers.https://revistacta.agrosavia.co/index.php/revista/article/view/2236/951econometric analysishierarchical clusterpotato productionsolanum toberosumstochastic frontier model |
| spellingShingle | Jose María Martínez Rubilma Tarazona-Velásquez Eliana Martínez-Pachón Housseman Steven Ramos-Zambrano Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiency Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria econometric analysis hierarchical cluster potato production solanum toberosum stochastic frontier model |
| title | Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiency |
| title_full | Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiency |
| title_fullStr | Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiency |
| title_short | Potato farming in Southwest Colombia: Types of farmers and their technical efficiency |
| title_sort | potato farming in southwest colombia types of farmers and their technical efficiency |
| topic | econometric analysis hierarchical cluster potato production solanum toberosum stochastic frontier model |
| url | https://revistacta.agrosavia.co/index.php/revista/article/view/2236/951 |
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