D'Haese M, Speelman S, Alary V, Tillard E, D'Haese L
Department of Agricultural Economics, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
J Dairy Sci. 2009 Aug;92(8):3676-83. doi: 10.3168/jds.2008-1874.
This paper aims to analyze efficiency on dairy farms in Reunion Island, a French overseas district located in the Indian Ocean. On this island, dairy farming is promoted with financial and technical support from the European Union, with the French and local governments aiming at reducing dependency on imports of milk powder and dairy products and creating employment. A critical factor for increasing the local milk production is the limited availability of arable land because of the small size and the volcanic nature of the island. In this paper, we study the efficiency levels of dairy production on 34 farms by using a data envelopment analysis approach. The average technical efficiency score of farms, assuming constant returns to scale, was 0.927, with 19 out of 34 farms not being efficient. The technical efficiency with a variable returns to scale specification was 0.951. The efficiency with which farmers used their land (subvector efficiencies) was estimated in a second model. The average subvector efficiencies calculated with constant returns to scale and variable returns to scale models were lower than the technical efficiencies. The farmers on the efficiency frontier had a relatively higher milk production, milk production per cow, and land surface than those who were less efficient. A policy promoting better use of the land on inefficient farms should increase the milk production-to-land ratio. Possible on-farm strategies are improved feeding systems, farms having their own heifer breeding, and improved genetics.
本文旨在分析留尼汪岛（位于印度洋的一个法国海外行政区）奶牛场的效率。在该岛，奶牛养殖在欧盟的资金和技术支持下得到推广，法国和当地政府旨在减少对奶粉和乳制品进口的依赖并创造就业机会。由于岛屿面积小且具有火山性质，可耕地有限是增加当地牛奶产量的一个关键因素。在本文中，我们使用数据包络分析方法研究了34个农场的奶牛生产效率水平。假设规模报酬不变，农场的平均技术效率得分为0.927，34个农场中有19个农场效率不高。具有规模报酬可变规格的技术效率为0.951。在第二个模型中估计了农民使用土地的效率（子向量效率）。用规模报酬不变和规模报酬可变模型计算的平均子向量效率低于技术效率。处于效率前沿的农民比效率较低的农民有相对更高的牛奶产量、每头奶牛的牛奶产量和土地面积。一项促进低效农场更好利用土地的政策应能提高牛奶产量与土地的比率。可能的农场策略包括改进饲养系统、农场自行培育小母牛以及改良遗传品种。
