Access to credit and credit constraint are critical determinants of competitiveness in agriculture; they have an impact on the technical efficiency of farms. The objective of this study was to analyze how credit variables influence the technical efficiency of two groups of specialized smallholder farmers in Chile. The translog stochastic production frontier model was used to predict the level of farm technical efficiency by the maximum likelihood method. Based on 2004 data, production functions and technical inefficiency score were estimated for 109 livestock and 342 crop producers. Results showed that the mean technical efficiency was 89% and 78% for crop and livestock producers, respectively. Technical efficiency increased with the decreasing use of inputs, dependence on on-farm income, farmer education, family size, and age of the head of household. Credit volume had a significant impact by increasing and decreasing efficiency in crop and livestock production, respectively. Correspondingly, credit-constrained farmers were less efficient in crop production and more efficient in livestock production. For livestock producers, credit volume and credit constraints were found to be endogenous to technical efficiency. A possible explanation is the organization of public support for small livestock producers in Chile, which provides lenders with information about individual livestock producers. Correcting for this endogeneity did not lead to qualitatively different results, but it did influence point estimates of parameters in the production function and inefficiency models, suggesting that it is important to test for endogeneity in the variables used to model inefficiency effects.
A geotecnologia evoluiu significativamente nos últimos anos, motivada por interesses comerciais e legais, muitos dos quais ligados às atividades desenvolvidas no meio rural. Neste artigo, objetiva-se identificar os agentes pesquisadores, difusores, ofertantes e consumidores desta tecnologia aplicada ao agronegócio e analisar suas experiências e projeções. O estudo foi dividido em três etapas: i) visita a feiras do agronegócio, revisão de literatura e consulta a especialistas para construção do roteiro de entrevista; ii) aplicação do roteiro aos agentes pesquisadores, ofertantes e consumidores da geotecnologia; e iii) análise das informações e perspectivas fornecidas pelos entrevistados. Observou-se que a maioria das empresas opta pela contratação deste tipo de serviço como mecanismo de melhoria dos processos de gestão, na busca de um incremento da eficiência em seu planejamento, independentemente do setor no qual se encontram inseridas. A necessidade do cumprimento da legislação também influencia nesta decisão e impulsiona o desenvolvimento da própria tecnologia. Concluiu-se que a geotecnologia ainda pode ser aperfeiçoada, ajustando-se melhor às necessidades mencionadas pelos clientes, enquanto que as perspectivas vislumbradas pelos pesquisadores e ofertantes apontam para a democratização desta tecnologia, permitindo a melhora da eficiência e aumento do lucro a partir da gestão espacial.
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