Farm household efficiency in Bangladesh: a comparison of stochastic frontier and DEA methods

Abstract

This study compares estimates of technical efficiency obtained from the stochastic frontier approach and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach using farm-level survey data for rice farmers in Bangladesh. Technical inefficiency effects are modelled as a function of farm-specific socioeconomic factors, environmental factors and irrigation infrastructure. The results from both the approaches indicate that efficiency is significantly influenced by the factors measuring environmental degradation and irrigation infrastructure.