Assessing Efficiency of input Utilization in Wheat Production in Uzbekistan

Increased technical and scale efficiency in the production of wheat has been of major interest for farmers and administrators alike in Uzbekistan particularly since wheat became a strategic crop to achieve the goal of food self-sufficiency soon after the country’s independence in 1991. A pioneer approach was adopted to estimate technical and scale efficiencies among wheat producing farms in the Khorezm and Fergana regions of Uzbekistan. A method was developed that consists of extending a nonparametric, output-based Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in two stages to allow the use of double bootstrapping techniques to produce bias-corrected estimates. The findings show that while most farmers have achieved scale efficiency under the current state of agricultural technology, there is room for increasing wheat production via enhanced technical efficiency. Interestingly, findings also show that the higher efficiency estimated for arable land with lower bonitet (soil fertility) scores indicates that farmers with better land quality use their resources less efficiently. It is argued that this in turn implies that under non-competitive market conditions, farmers have little incentives to use resources more efficientl

Identification, characterization and domestication of new sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) genotypes to saline environments of the Aral sea regions

Assessment of crop genetic resources is an efficient tool to generate new stress-tolerant varieties with high yield characteristics for harsh environments such as in the Aral Sea regions. Sorghum is a C4 grass capable of both high biomass and grain yields in semiarid and drier parts of the world. In this study, sixteen sorghum genotypes were assessed in terms of grain and biomass production under the saline aquifer of the Aral Sea region during the 2019-2021 growing seasons. The tested sorghum genotypes were planted as a split-plot design with three replicates in the experimental field. The highest plant height was found in SSV-84 (288 cm) and Kulzha (272 cm), indicating good adaptation features under the saline environment (moderately saline serosems soil; EC 8-10 dS m-1). A considerable difference was observed in the grain and biomass yield of the tested sorghum genotypes. The highest grain yield was produced by Kazakhstanskoe-16 (6970 kg ha-1) while the highest biomass yield was achieved by Orange-160 (57770 kg ha-1). The correlation analysis showed a weak interaction (r=0.524) between the grain yield and vegetation period parameters, implying a genetic specificity has an advantage of the agronomic performance. Lab experiments also confirmed the superiority of the selected genotypes over the local genotype in regards of seed germination and seedling growth. Based on the field and lab experiments, Kazakhstanskoe-16 and Orange-160 were found to be salt tolerant sorghum genotypes with high yield traits and recommended for further assessment to the State Varietal Commission of Agricultural Crops for large-scale use in salt-affected arid areas

A Service of zbw Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre for Factors affecting efficiency of cotton producers in rural Khorezm, Uzbekistan: Re-examining the role of knowledge indicators in technical efficiency improvement

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in Abstract Few efficiency studies, to date, have been conducted for Central Asian countries. This article fills the gap in the literature by conducting a frontier efficiency analysis using survey data obtained from the cotton producing farms in North-western Uzbekistan. The results of the restricted stochastic frontier model, which follows a three-stage procedure, demonstrate the presence of technical inefficiency in cotton production. The findings illustrate that the results from the traditional frontier models, which use black box tools, lead to biased outcomes. The model displays that farmers' educational background, farm size, water availability, the application of manure, access to formal credit, Water User Association's services, farmers' participation in off-farm work and poor drainage systems, significantly contribute to input use efficiency. A quantile regression also shows that knowledge indicators play a significant role in improving farmers' efficiency in cotton production. The impact of agricultural experience on technical efficiency is positive, but not significant, in the middle and higher efficiency percentiles. Interestingly, having a basic education is not sufficient in achieving higher efficiency, based on the results obtained. The findings suggest that the provision of agricultural training and the development of agricultural extension services will help farmers acquire new technologies and enhance their decision-making capabilities in farm production which subsequently improve resource use efficiency in cotton production

Productive Efficiency of Potato and Melon Growing Farms in Uzbekistan: A Two Stage Double Bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis

This article is one of the first to carry out a non-parametric efficiency analysis of crop production in Uzbekistan. The study applies the bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to compute bias corrected technical efficiency (TE) scores using a sample of farms located in two regions of Uzbekistan. The study also investigates the determinants of TE in potato and melon production. Results indicate that there is room for efficient use of resources. Farmers are found to be more scale-efficient but not productively efficient. Findings from the second stage DEA model display that soil fertility index, farm size, water availability, crop diversification index, dependency ratio, potential to work in large land area, and longer distance to market contribute positively to production efficiency

Modeling Fuel Choice among Households in Northern Cameroon

The present study aims to explore economic and socio-demographic factors that influence a household’s probability to switch from firewood to cleaner fuels (kerosene and LPG) in northern Cameroon. The paper employs an ordered probit model to construct cooking patterns and fuel choices. Three main cooking sources are considered: firewood, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas. Utilized data are derived from a national survey conducted in 2004 by the Cameroonian National Institute of Statistics. The study analyzes the data related to the Sudano-Sahelian agro-ecological zone, which is one of the most affected by land degradation and decertification. While results indicate that there is a potential for a transition from traditional to cleaner fuels in the studied region, this transition is still in its earlier stage. The research demonstrates that firewood and kerosene prices, age of household heads, educational level of household heads and willingness to have a gas cylinder, as well as type of dwelling have a statistically significant impact on fuel-switching decisions

Replication data for: Central Asia (2005): Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of At-Risk Youth Relating to Injecting Drug Use and Risky Sexual Behavior in Four Countries of Central Asia

This TRaC study measured knowledge, attitudes, and practices among young IDUs in Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The primary objectives were 1. To gain comprehensive and detailed data to inform PSI's interventions with at-risk youth; 2. To segment the population according to condom use at last sexual intercourse with any kind of sexual partners, and socialization to IDUs; 3. To identify key determinants (OAM Opportunity, Ability and Motivation) associated with each behavior; and 4. To obtain information for monitoring key indicators, behavior change, and OAM determinants

Replication data for: Central Asia (2006): HIV/AIDS TRaC-M Study Evaluating Exposure and Retention of Media Campaign among At-Risk Youth (15- 25 years) in Seven Cities. First Round.

Between October 2005 and January 2006, PSI/Uzbekistan broadcast a mass media campaign entitled Memories 7 cities across Uzbekistan. The campaign targeted youth aged 15-25 who are at-risk for heroin/opiate use and injecting drugs by virtue of the fact that they live on Central Asia's main heroin trafficking routes. TRaC-M is a new approach developed by PSI specifically for measuring the exposure and recall of messages diffused through behavior change communication (BCC) methods. Information regarding campaign exposure (coverage) is important and allows programmers to quickly decide if it is necessary to continue to broadcast an announcement or if an appropriate level of saturation has already been achieved

Water, Energy and Carbon Tradeoffs of Groundwater Irrigation-Based Food Production: Case Studies from Fergana Valley, Central Asia

In arid environments, water shortages due to over-allocation of river flow are often compensated by lift irrigation or pumping groundwater. In such environments, farmers using pumped irrigation can deploy on-farm energy-efficient and water-saving technologies; however, pumping water requiring extra energy is associated with carbon emissions. This study explores how to increase crop production using pumped irrigation with minimal energy and carbon emissions. The purpose of this research is twofold: first, to examine on-farm energy consumption and carbon emissions in gravity and groundwater irrigation systems; and second, to explore system-level alternatives of power generation and water management for food production based on the results from the farm-level analysis. This study employs a novel system-level approach for addressing water, energy, and carbon tradeoffs under pumped irrigation using groundwater. These tradeoffs are assessed at farm and system levels. On-farm level estimates showed that farm-level interventions were insufficient to produce mutual gains. According to the results of the system-level evaluation, system-level interventions for water and energy conservation, the use of renewable energy to pump water for irrigation, and river basin scale cooperation are all required to maintain crop production while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions

Perspectives of Licorice Production in Harsh Environments of the Aral Sea Regions

Along with pharmacological applications due to bioactive elements such as flavonoids and glycyrrhizin, licorice has positive influences on the rehabilitation, rejuvenation, and management of salt-affected degraded lands in arid regions. These features made this plant widely appreciated worldwide when climate change is showing detrimental impacts for crop production and food security. However, a growing demand followed by irrational harvesting of wild licorice plants has led to substantial dwindling of its natural habitat. There is an increasing need to protect the plant biodiversity since sustainability can be a problem with wild harvesting. Therefore, it is important to investigate cultivation technologies of licorice under harsh environments, while this plant can adapt to a wide range of climates. Thus, in this review, we studied, analyzed and summarized the literature on licorice cultivation methods counteracting the most common environmental stresses in the Aral Sea region. Particularly, the current knowledge was rationalized regarding on cultivation technologies for alleviating salt stress thereby improving crop production. We also highlighted that future research directions on licorice breeding and genomics that might facilitate to produce more resilient and sustainable licorice genotypes to renovate agricultural productivity under disastrous ecology and climate change of the arid regions. Whereas this area possesses all prerequisite conditions needed for successful cultivation of the alternative cash crop