Salwa Al-Mohammad⁽¹⁾ Ibtissam Jassem^*(2) and Mai Lubbous⁽¹⁾

(1). Economic Department, Facultu of Agriculture, Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria.

(2). Cooton Research Administration, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Ibtessam Jassem. E-Mail. e_sam_0@hotmail.com).

Received: 31/12/2016                                Accepted: 26/02/2017

Abstract

The aim of this research was to measure the technical efficiency of cotton farms with surface irrigation system using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in the field school in Idleb governorate. Preliminary data was collected based on field surveys, and random sampling. 34 farms in the villages of Meless and Segar were chosen for the season 2014. Results showed that the value of gross margin per area unit was approximately 7037 S.P/Dunam, and the net profit before subsidization was 2771 S.P/Dunam. The results of fixed returns model which applied on 16 farms, also showed that most of them were located in the village Siger, those villages used the least amount of input to reach a certain level of outputs, thus they had achieved economic efficiency in cotton production. The other farms, that did not achieve economic efficiency, should reduce the inputs in different proportions to become technically efficient without wasting resources while maintaining the same level of production. The results of variable returns model also showed that all the farms were inefficient, and this could be explained by the fact that all examined farms had applied almost equal inputs and had achieved a comparable productivity. According to that, the results were the same using this model. In terms of to allocative efficiency, 16 farms only achieved allocative efficiency (100%), thus, these farms had to continue to manage the farm at the same level. Those farms were working within the second production phase, which is the best phase economically. But the farms which did not achieve the allocative efficiency were working within the first production phase, which is characterized by increased output more than input. According to this the possibility of increasing production efficiency of the farms is through the application of modern agricultural techniques and developing varieties with a short life cycle. 

Keywords: Technical efficiency, Field schools, Cotton crop.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF