Impact of Erratic Rainfall from Climate Change on Pulse Production Efficiency in Lower Myanmar

Sein Mar, Hisako Nomura, Yoshifumi Takahashi, Kazuo Ogata and Mitsuyasu Yabe
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Sein Mar: Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
Hisako Nomura: Center for Promotion of International Education and Research, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
Yoshifumi Takahashi: Laboratory of Environmental Economics, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
Kazuo Ogata: Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
Mitsuyasu Yabe: Laboratory of Environmental Economics, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Erratic rainfall has a detrimental impact on crop productivity but rainfall during the specific growth stage is rarely used in efficiency analysis. This study focuses on this untapped point and examines the influence of rainfall specifically encountered during the sowing stage and early vegetative growth stage and the flowering stage of pulses on productivity and efficiency in Lower Myanmar using data from 182 sample farmers. The results of a stochastic frontier production function reveal that rainfall incidence during the flowering season of pulses has a negatively significant effect on yield while replanting crops after serious damage by rain increases productivity. Controlled rainfall variables, seed rate, human labor and land preparation cost are important parameters influencing pulses yield. In the efficiency model, levels of yield loss have a negative impact while being a male household head, access to government credit, access to training, locating farms in the Bago Region and possessing a large area of pulses have a positively significant effect on technical efficiency. Policy recommendations include the establishment of a safety network, such as crop insurance to protect farmers from losses due to unpredictable weather conditions, promoting training programs on cultural practices adapted to climate change, wide coverage of extension activities, giving priority to small-scale farmers and female farmer participation in training and extension activities and increasing the rate of credit availability to farmers.

Keywords: pulse production; Lower Myanmar; stochastic production frontier function; technical efficiency; climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:2:p:402-:d:130180

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