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Technical efficiency in irrigated farming in Nabeul, Tunisia: total factor productivity and horizontal integration

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Abstract

Due to natural and anthropogenic factors, water scarcity became a source of concern in many parts of the world as it affects people and local economies. International and national strategies are adopted to reduce the impact of water shortage and to preserve it. Among these measures, the focus on on-farm water management strategies through the improvement of irrigation efficiency is a relevant solution for water saving. This work aims to assess the economic efficiency of farmers using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach, in the Lebna Dam irrigated perimeter in Nabeul, Tunisia over the period 2011–2014. In this study, we assessed the efficiency of producers, Total Factor Productivity (TFP), and potential gains from horizontal integration. The main findings are that (i) DEA is relevant to identify crops that have a positive impact on efficiency, (ii) TFP using Malmquist Productivity Index shows 2% gains in productivity and (iii) considering two scenarios of merger of lands, we found an overall potential improvement in efficiency. We conclude that water savings are possible with an increased agricultural productivity, promoting thereby a more efficient water use.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Notes

  1. It is possible to use an output-oriented model, however the endogenous variables in our context are the inputs. In addition, the difference in results, if any, between the two versions would be minor (Murillo-Zamorano 2004).

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the members of GDA Lebna and local farmers for their cooperation during data collection.

Funding

This research was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), No. 20H03082, Development of Agro-food Industrial Clusters by Establishment of Innovative Value Chain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Recherche Sociétés & Humanités (LARSH), Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, Les Tertiales-Rue des Cent Têtes, 59313, Valenciennes Cedex 9, France

    Chokri Dridi

  2. Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Chokri Dridi

  3. Laboratory of Desalination and Natural Water Valorisation, Water Research and Technologies Centre of Borj Cedria (CERTE), 8020, Soliman, Tunisia

    Mohamed Kefi

  4. The Alliance for Research on the Mediterranean and North Africa (ARENA), The University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Kenichi Kashiwagi

Authors
  1. Chokri Dridi
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  2. Mohamed Kefi
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  3. Kenichi Kashiwagi
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Contributions

Data collection: MK, KK; design of the study: CD, MK; data analysis: CD; first draft: All authors; funding acquisition: KK.

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Correspondence to Chokri Dridi.

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Dridi, C., Kefi, M. & Kashiwagi, K. Technical efficiency in irrigated farming in Nabeul, Tunisia: total factor productivity and horizontal integration. Sustain. Water Resour. Manag. 9, 86 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-023-00869-4

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