Technical Efficiency of Cash and Food Crops Producing Farms Across Three Districts in Northern Tajikistan: a Non-parametric Approach

Agriculture in Tajikistan is performing poorly. However, studies that critically examine the factors behind the very skimpy performance of this sector are rather scanty. Thus, the objectives of this study are twofold: 1) gauging technical efficiency of farms and 2) identifying determinants of in/efficiency. The total sample constituted 303 randomly selected farm households from three districts. Using VRS input-oriented approach in Data Envelopment Analysis and tobit model, the study has found out that farm indebtedness and delays in irrigation negatively influence the efficiency level of farm households. Policy intervention should consider the comparative advantages of each district