Firm Efficiency and Returns-to-Scale in the Honey Bee Pollination Services Industry

Ritten, Chian Jones; Peck, Dannele E.; Ehmke, Mariah D.; Patalee, M.A.B.

doi:10.1093/jee/toy075

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Efficiency can be achieved by maximising honey production and minimising the cost of inputs. There is a paucity of research on the economic efficiency of honey bee farming in the world (Alropy et al, 2019;Ritten et al, 2018), and none on the economic efficiency of honey bee or stingless beekeeping in Malaysia. Hence, the purpose of this research is to evaluate the performance of commercial stingless beekeepers in Peninsular Malaysia via an economic efficiency assessment, and thence to identify the underlying factors in farm management responsible for any shortcomings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Efficiency of Stingless Bee Farms in Peninsular Malaysia Estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

Soh¹,

Samsuddin²,

Ismail³

2021

JSSH

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The commercial stingless beekeeping industry has good economic growth potential in Malaysia, which is a tropical country rich in flora that serves as food sources for stingless bees. Local consumption of honey is increasing and its production locally can be raised to meet the demand by sustainable stingless beekeeping. An important indicator that measures the success of the industry is the economic efficiency of the farm. This study hence examined the cost efficiency (CE), technical efficiency (TE), and allocative efficiency (AE) of commercial stingless beekeeping farms in the East Coast and Northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia using Cost Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under the assumption of Constant Return to Scale (CRS). Interviews with 47 respondents in the East Coast region and 28 respondents in the Northern region showed that the average CE scores for the two regions were 0.291 and 0.172, respectively. TE for the East Coast region and Northern region were 0.656 and 0.385 while mean AE scores of 0.445 and 0.404 were obtained. Factors that influenced the efficiency of the farms included farmers’ years of schooling and extension officer visits. In conclusion, CE, TE, and AE of commercial stingless bee honey production in Peninsular Malaysia were fairly low, and the determinants responsible for this low efficiency is of concern. Economic efficiency in stingless beekeeping needs to be further elevated to optimise productivity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Efficiency of Stingless Bee Farms in Peninsular Malaysia Estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

Soh¹,

Samsuddin²,

Ismail³

2021

JSSH

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“…Submitting questionnaires to the beekeepers to collect business information is a fairly common practice. The winter losses of bee colonies [28,29], the pollination fees [30,31], and the movement of bee colonies during the year [32,33] have been surveyed with this instrument.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial Pollination of Apple Orchards: Val di Non Case Study

Pilati¹,

Fontana²,

Angeli³

2020

Modern Beekeeping - Bases for Sustainable Production

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This chapter presents the results of a survey conducted in spring 2019 within the beekeepers who rent their colonies for the pollination of apple orchards in Val di Non, an alpine area in North Italy. The commercial pollination of apple orchards in this area is managed in an associated form by their cooperatives. The survey, carried out in collaboration with the local farmer cooperatives, submitted to the beekeepers a questionnaire containing questions on the economic and apidological aspects of their migratory beekeeping. The answers, referring to 43 questionnaires, show that beekeepers mostly: plan the migration itinerary at the beginning of the year; proceed to balance the colonies of honey bees before the pollination of the apple orchards; believe that the strength of the colonies must affect the pollination fee paid by the farmers and that the concentration of the colonies for the pollination of crops is not a relevant factor in the spread of bee diseases. The winter losses of honey bee colonies suffered by the responding beekeepers are on average 11.9%. The average cost of feeding the honey bee colony amounts to 19.1 €/colony. Finally, there is a wide interest in beekeepers to ensure the honey bee colonies.

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“…Some researchers have focused only on production indicators by ignoring the details of data management. Relatively few researchers have studied some aspects using detailed data management at a beekeeper level (28,33,46). It is noteworthy that Lema and Delgado (2000) investigated the sources of technical efficiency (TE) including decision-making and managerial capacity variables in producers from the province of Buenos Aires.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, the measurement of productive efficiency with the non-parametric approach has used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. DEA involves linear programming to calculate the frontier of an economic unit and identify the proportion of inputs with the maximum efficiency, or the portion of maximum output with the limited inputs (7,28). DEA developed by Charnes et al (1978), has also been widely used to estimate the TE score of livestock (13).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Key factors affecting the technical efficiency of bee farms in the province of La Pampa (Argentina): A two-stage DEA approach

et al. 2021

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This paper analyzes how decision-making, management capacity and technology adoption by beekeepers, affect the technical efficiency (TE) of Argentinean beekeeping through the case study of the province of La Pampa (Argentina). The assessment of TE is currently receiving ever-growing attention as an indicator of sustainability and usage of sufficient natural resources in beekeeping activities. This study aimed to identify the key factors affecting the technical efficiency of bee farms in the province of La Pampa. The study included a sample of 40 bee farms and estimated their TE score through an input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. In a second stage, Tobit regression was determined to evaluate the technical inefficiency determinants. This paper found that most beekeeping production units have low TE levels. Only 25 % of bee farms produce either at or close to the frontier. The Tobit model revealed that variables such as marital status, educational level, primary family income, source information usage, planning and health area, affect positively on pure technical efficiency. These results are considered to be of great interest for structured beekeeping systems on small-scale and family farms, as well as for political decision-makers, regarding a public program in apiculture. Highlights: Argentina is the leading country in America, exporting honey worldwide. DEA approach and Tobit model based on a two-stage analysis is a useful tool when evaluating livestock production systems. Bee farmers in La Pampa (Argentina) are operating below the production frontier, which indicates there is still scope for improvement. Variables such as marital status, educational level, primary family income, source information usage, planning and health area, affect positively on technical efficiency. Beekeepers should be encouraged by the government to improve their efficiency through training programs to ease decision-making and management, therefore enhancing productivity.

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Firm Efficiency and Returns-to-Scale in the Honey Bee Pollination Services Industry

Cited by 25 publications

References 43 publications

Economic Efficiency of Stingless Bee Farms in Peninsular Malaysia Estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

Economic Efficiency of Stingless Bee Farms in Peninsular Malaysia Estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

Commercial Pollination of Apple Orchards: Val di Non Case Study

Key factors affecting the technical efficiency of bee farms in the province of La Pampa (Argentina): A two-stage DEA approach

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