Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa
Smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is commonly characterised by high levels of technical inefficiency. However, much of this characterisation relies on self-reported input and production data, which are prone to systematic measurement error. We show theoretically that non-classical measur...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Wiley
2023
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129959 |
| _version_ | 1855520158780489728 |
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| author | Abay, Kibrom A. Wossen, Tesfamichael Chamberlin, Jordan |
| author_browse | Abay, Kibrom A. Chamberlin, Jordan Wossen, Tesfamichael |
| author_facet | Abay, Kibrom A. Wossen, Tesfamichael Chamberlin, Jordan |
| author_sort | Abay, Kibrom A. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is commonly characterised by high levels of technical inefficiency. However, much of this characterisation relies on self-reported input and production data, which are prone to systematic measurement error. We show theoretically that non-classical measurement error introduces multiple identification challenges and sources of bias in estimating smallholders' technical inefficiency. We then empirically examine the implications of measurement error for the estimation of technical inefficiency using smallholder farm survey data from Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania. We find that measurement error in agricultural input and production data leads to a substantial upward bias in technical inefficiency estimates (by up to 85% for some farmers). Our results suggest that existing estimates of technical efficiency in sub-Saharan Africa may be severe underestimates of smallholders' actual efficiency and what is commonly attributed to farmer inefficiency may be an artefact of mismeasurement in agricultural data. Our results raise questions about the received wisdom on African smallholders' production efficiency and prior estimates of the productivity of agricultural inputs. Improving the measurement of agricultural data can improve our understanding of smallholders' production efficiencies and improve the targeting of productivity-enhancing technologies. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace129959 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| publisherStr | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1299592025-03-13T17:21:30Z Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa Abay, Kibrom A. Wossen, Tesfamichael Chamberlin, Jordan crops dna fingerprinting measurement field size smallholders surveys data Smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is commonly characterised by high levels of technical inefficiency. However, much of this characterisation relies on self-reported input and production data, which are prone to systematic measurement error. We show theoretically that non-classical measurement error introduces multiple identification challenges and sources of bias in estimating smallholders' technical inefficiency. We then empirically examine the implications of measurement error for the estimation of technical inefficiency using smallholder farm survey data from Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania. We find that measurement error in agricultural input and production data leads to a substantial upward bias in technical inefficiency estimates (by up to 85% for some farmers). Our results suggest that existing estimates of technical efficiency in sub-Saharan Africa may be severe underestimates of smallholders' actual efficiency and what is commonly attributed to farmer inefficiency may be an artefact of mismeasurement in agricultural data. Our results raise questions about the received wisdom on African smallholders' production efficiency and prior estimates of the productivity of agricultural inputs. Improving the measurement of agricultural data can improve our understanding of smallholders' production efficiencies and improve the targeting of productivity-enhancing technologies. 2023-06 2023-04-12T18:17:41Z 2023-04-12T18:17:41Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129959 en Limited Access Wiley Abay, K. A., Wossen, T., & Chamberlin, J. (2022). Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates: Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa. Journal of Agricultural Economics 74(2): 413-434. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12514 |
| spellingShingle | crops dna fingerprinting measurement field size smallholders surveys data Abay, Kibrom A. Wossen, Tesfamichael Chamberlin, Jordan Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa |
| title | Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa |
| title_full | Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa |
| title_fullStr | Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa |
| title_short | Mismeasurement and efficiency estimates : Evidence from smallholder survey data in Africa |
| title_sort | mismeasurement and efficiency estimates evidence from smallholder survey data in africa |
| topic | crops dna fingerprinting measurement field size smallholders surveys data |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129959 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abaykibroma mismeasurementandefficiencyestimatesevidencefromsmallholdersurveydatainafrica AT wossentesfamichael mismeasurementandefficiencyestimatesevidencefromsmallholdersurveydatainafrica AT chamberlinjordan mismeasurementandefficiencyestimatesevidencefromsmallholdersurveydatainafrica |