Understanding the Evolution of Agricultural Productivity in Colombia

Rachid Laajaj, María Camila Ortiz, Margarita Gáfaro and Lina Salazar

No 14822, IDB Publications (Working Papers) from Inter-American Development Bank

Abstract: Colombia has favorable agroecological conditions but continues to face low agricultural productivity. This paper examines total factor productivity (TFP) between 2015 and 2023 using stochastic frontier analysis on household- and municipal-level panel data. We decompose productivity growth and assess the effects of climate shocks, access to credit, rural public investment, and the peace agreement with FARC. Results show that output growth has been driven mainly by input expansion, with TFP increasing by less than 1% annually. Rural road infrastructure and low-interest credit are consistently linked to productivity gains, while input delivery and service programs show no measurable impact. Climate variability remains a major source of productivity fluctuations, highlighting sectoral vulnerability. The 2014 ceasefire with FARC produced heterogeneous effects: household-level productivity rose in previously affected areas, but municipal-level averages declined possibly due to land expansion into less productive zones. Findings underscore the need to shift from input-based support to connectivity, rural finance, and climate-resilient investments.

Keywords: Agricultural Productivity; Total Factor Productivity Growth; Agriculture; Rural Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q10 Q12 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-10
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english ... vity-in-Colombia.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:idb:brikps:14822

DOI: 10.18235/0014586

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in IDB Publications (Working Papers) from Inter-American Development Bank Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Felipe Herrera Library ().