AUTHOR=Cai Baozhong , Shi Fang , Meseretchanie Abate , Betelhemabraham Geremew , Zeng Rong 

TITLE=Agricultural socialized services empowering smallholder rice producers to achieve high technical efficiency: empirical evidence from southern China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1329872

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2024.1329872

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=Introduction: This study emphasizes the importance of agricultural efficiency for food security and income generation, especially among smallholder rice farmers in southern China. Limited access to essential agricultural services hinders productivity in this region. The study highlights the significant potential of agricultural socialized services in improving the technical efficiency of smallholder rice production.
Methods: To analyze the impact of agricultural socialized services on technical efficiency in rice production, we focused on tillage, transplanting, crop protection, and harvest operations. We employed stochastic frontier analysis and collected data from smallholder farmers in Hunan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces. By estimating the technical efficiency of rice production, we aimed to assess the relationship between agricultural socialized services and smallholder farmers' technical efficiency.
Results and Discussion: The results of our analysis revealed that agricultural socialized services significantly enhance the technical efficiency of rice production among smallholder farmers by supporting agricultural practices such as transplanting, crop protection, and harvest operations. However, we found that the impact of agricultural socialized services on tillage operations was not statistically significant. Participation in agricultural socialized services enhances smallholders' access to modern production techniques, resources, and knowledge, leading to improved technical efficiency. These services also empower smallholder rice producers to adopt sustainable farming practices, access credit, financing, and market information, and promote collective action and cooperation, ultimately influencing technical efficiency.
Conclusion: This study emphasizes the potential of agricultural socialized services in improving the technical efficiency of smallholder rice production in southern China. Policymakers and agricultural organizations can use these insights to design interventions that promote efficient practices, enhance productivity, support livelihoods, and ensure food security in the region.