European Review of Agricultural Economics · 1996 · 159 citations · 0 references
AgricultureAgricultural EconomicsDairy ScienceAgricultural DevelopmentFarm ManagementProduction EconomicsAgricultural Production EconomicsDairy ProductionFarm Management EconomicsFarm ProductivityProductivity AnalysisDairy Production EconomicsFarm Size StructureFarm-level EfficiencyFrontier AnalysisFrontier Production AnalysisPanel Data EstimationPanel Data RegressionPanel Frontier Models
The technical efficiency of Portuguese dairy farms is measured using frontier production functions estimated from panel data. Alternative estimators are compared and evaluated. The results suggest an average efficiency of 60 to 70 per cent. The relationship between efficiency and farm characteristics is explored. Efficiency appears to be positively correlated with farm size, but independent of degree of specialisation. The implications of the results for alternative development strategies are considered.