ASSESSING CLIMATE CHANGE AND DETERMINANTS OF RICE PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY IN LAO PDR: THE CASE STUDY OF SAVANNAKHET PROVINCE

Vongphachanh Xayalath and Zhang Yang

International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research, 2026, vol. 12, issue 1

Abstract: Rice is the most essential staple crop in the Lao PDR, accounting for more than 80% of cultivated land and serving as the main source of household food consumption. Despite strong national demand, rice production efficiency remains constrained by several technical, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. This study evaluates the determinants of rice production efficiency in Savannakhet Province using the Cobb–Douglas Stochastic Frontier Production Function. Results show that production factors positively associated with rice yield include cultivated area, rice varieties, fertilizer use, labor input, and production equipment. Conversely, inefficiency is significantly influenced by variables such as education level, technical training, and land-use adaptation, which are negatively correlated with inefficiency levels. Water management practices are found to play a critical role in enhancing productivity, particularly in adapting to climate variability and improving irrigation reliability. The average technical efficiency of households is estimated at approximately 61%, suggesting moderate efficiency with substantial potential for improvement. Strengthening technical training, improving access to appropriate technologies, and developing irrigation systems can significantly enhance production efficiency and support agricultural development in the province.

Keywords: Production; Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/396364/files/ijaer_12__16.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:ags:ijaeri:396364

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.396364

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research from Malwa International Journals Publication
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().