Abstract—The study was carried out in Isabela, Philippines. The survey instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire. Information was collected from the factors affecting productivity and technical efficiency of irrigated and rainfed rice farmers. The data were analyzed with the use of stochastic frontier Cobb-Douglas production function. The parameters of the function were estimated by maximum likelihood method using computer program frontier version 4.1. Results indicated that factors greatly influenced rice yield were cost of farming services and seeds used (HYM); application of fertilizers, farm services and seed used (MYM); and cost of farm services (LYM) in irrigated farmers. On rainfed, cost of farm services and quantity of seeds (HYM), farm services (MYM) and land area, quantity of fertilizer applied, cost of pesticides and farm services (LYM). Both ecosystem rice farmers were found with technical inefficiencies in utilizing their know-how and resources. Rainfed rice farmers had shown with greater technical inefficiencies and lower return to scale in rice production as compared to irrigated rice farmers. The pressing problems were insufficient financial, calamities, and soil and irrigation/water management. More capability building, technical, financial, infrastructure, and organization’s strengthening were recommended to improve productivity and technical efficiency of rice farmers both farm ecosystems.

 

Index Terms—stochastic frontier analysis, ecosystems, technical inefficiencies

Cite: Diosdado C. Cañete and Biley E. Temanel, "Factors Influencing Productivity and Technical Efficiency of Rice Farmers in Isabela, Philippines," Journal of Advanced Agricultural Technologies, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 111-122, June 2017. Doi: 10.18178/joaat.4.2.111-122