Document Type : Research Article-en
Authors
- Homa Naruei 1
- Mahmoud Ahmadpour Borazjani 2
- Mashallah Salarpour 3
- Alirerza Keikha 4
- Reza Esfanjari Kenari 5
1 PhD student, agricultural economics department, agricultural college, university of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
2 Associate professor, agricultural economics department, agricultural college, university of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
3 Assistant professor, agricultural economics department, agricultural college, university of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
4 Assistant professor, agricultural economics department, agricultural college, university of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
5 Assistant professor, agricultural economics department, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction
The negative and destructive impact of climate change on the efficiency and productivity of agricultural inputs has been demonstrated in many regions of the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. In this context, the adoption of innovative strategies to increase farmers' flexibility and adaptability to climate change has increased. It is therefore important to know the impact of climate adaptation strategies on agricultural efficiency and yields. The data show that Iran is facing an increase in the frequency of droughts, an increase in temperature, an increase in erratic rainfall patterns and a decrease in groundwater resources due to climate change. As a result, Iranian farmers should adopt appropriate adaptation strategies to adapt to climate change and mitigate the effects of this phenomenon. It is therefore important to determine the impact of climate adaptation strategies together with other factors at the level of technical efficiency. The present study assessed how the implementation of climate change adaptation measures, in conjunction with the resources utilized by farmers, affects the technical efficiency of wheat producers in the Sistan area.
Materials and Methods
This study investigated the effects of climate change adaptation strategies, alongside input utilization and external factors outside farmers' influence, on technical efficiency using the Endogenous Modified Stochastic Frontier Model (EMSF). Data were gathered from 265 questionnaires distributed during the 2022-2023 agricultural year, employing a stratified random sampling approach among wheat farmers. The climate adaptation strategy index was formulated utilizing the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique. In this way, based on the study by Ojo and Baiyegunhi (2020), the strategies with a load greater than 0.500 were merged and a climate adaptation strategy index was formed.
Results and Discussion
The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that alterations in land size (0.812), the adoption of conservation tillage (0.797), and adjustments to planting dates (0.619) are the most influential factors. Conversely, the employment of rainwater harvesting (0.219) and the application of bio-fertilizers (0.327) emerged as the adaptation strategies with the least factor loading among the farmers. Therefore, the most important of the first three strategies have been used to generate the adaptive index. The results of the study indicate that endogeneity within the model is statistically significant. This problem is likely to be due to latent variables, including production methods and risk management tactics that influence the agricultural decision-making process regarding climate change adaptation measures. Consequently, it is imperative to account for endogeneity to ensure the reliability of efficiency parameter estimates, as neglecting it would lead to unreliable results. The average technical efficiency obtained from the estimated model was calculated to be 82%. The results also showed that there is a large difference between the most and least efficient wheat farmers in the Sistan region. This difference shows that this performance gap can be reduced without changing the level of technology and inputs used. In other words, there is a high potential to increase production by improving management. The model's estimations indicate that labor, chemical pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation, and machinery all have a statistically significant and positive impact on wheat production efficiency. Furthermore, the adoption of climate adaptation strategies by farmers has been shown to decrease technical inefficiency. Additionally, factors such as the farmers' level of education, years of farming experience, access to climate data, and availability of credit contribute to the reduction of technical inefficiency. As a result, climate adaptation strategies are critical in explaining shifts in inefficiency. This implies that smallholder farmers who adopt climate change adaptation strategies experience improved yields and technical efficiency. Therefore, this study shows that wheat production in Sistan can be significantly advanced with substantial inputs and technology, provided that smallholder farmers are supported to implement climate adaptation strategies. This finding is consistent with the results of the studies by Khanal et al. (2018), Anser et al. (2020) and Ojo and Baiyegunhi (2020).
Conclusions
According to the results obtained, it can be said that implementing climate-resilient strategies significantly enhances the technical efficiency of small-scale farmers in the Sistan region. This research suggests that improving the technical efficiency of farming can be achieved by raising the educational standards of farmers through targeted agricultural programs, adult education opportunities and the provision of timely financial credit. Similarly, technical efficiency can be improved by ensuring that farmers have access to accurate weather forecasts for the coming season. It is also important to foster community engagement among farmers by creating collective groups that facilitate meaningful interaction with peers. Educating farmers about the inefficient use of agricultural inputs can lead to increased efficiency through the judicious use of resources. Furthermore, equipping farmers with knowledge about local climate change and appropriate adaptive responses is crucial for government agencies, stakeholders and relevant organizations. It is therefore imperative to actively involve farmers in strategic planning for the adoption of climate-friendly practices.
Keywords
- Economic and social characteristics
- Endogenous modified random frontier model
- Multivariate logit regression model
- Principal components analysis
Main Subjects
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