| Author | Zulfiqar, Farhad |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.RD-16-01 |
| Subject(s) | Cotton--Pakistan--Management
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| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Regional and Rural Development Planning |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. RD-16-01 |
| Abstract | In view of adverse socioeconomic and environmental effects of conventional cotton, “better cotton” was introduced by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in Pakistan in 2009. There is a dearth of research on level of adoption of “better cotton” production practices as recommended by BCI, financial attractiveness of “better cotton” as compared to conventional cotton and potential for further improvements in “better cotton” based on resource use efficiency analysis. This research was carried out to bridge these gaps. The field survey, covering 161 “better cotton” farmers and 141 conventional farmers, was carried out in Punjab province of Pakistan.The level of adoption of “better cotton” practices was examined based on actual number of practices used by farmers, and its determinants were analyzed by the help of truncatedregression. The financial analysis involved the comparison of conventional and “better cotton” using net profit and benefit cost ratio measures. The net income was analyzed using propensity score matching method to ensure that the income was attributed to “better cotton” production rather than other external factors. Technical, allocative and economic efficiency of “better cotton” were analyzed using input orienteddata envelopment analysis method. Factors affecting technical and economic efficiency were identified using bootstrapped truncated regression. Results of the analysis of the level of adoption of “better cotton” practices involving land preparation and sowing, crop management, and picking and post-harvestpractices displayed clear variations. The only significant factor positively affecting the adoption across the three practice groups was information access from formal sources.This indicates that the knowledge and training provided by formal organizations had played a significant role in the use of “better” practices. Financially, returns from “better cotton” were far better than conventional cotton primarily because of the lower input cost attributed to mainly the significantly low cost of irrigation, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. “Better cotton” was also socially and environmentally better than conventional cotton due to application of relatively smaller amounts of inorganic pesticides and herbicidesand higher amounts of organic fertilizers. There was a variation in technical efficiency and it was positively influenced by farmers’ education, farming experience, and drainage status, while it was negatively influenced by the number of household members involved in farming, and the area under cotton. The mean economic efficiency of 56 percent indicated that at the current productivity level inefficient farmers can reduce their costs by 44 percent. The economic efficiency was negatively affected by the number of household members involved in farming and intensity of use of crop management practices. Policy recommendations are made to promote the production of “better cotton” in other parts of Pakistan by focusing on knowledge dissemination, training and regular interaction with farmers. Efforts should also be made to improve input use efficiency of particularly those “better cotton” farmers who are currently operating inefficiently. |
| Year | 2016 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. RD-16-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Rural Development, Gender and Resources (RD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Thapa, Gopal Bahadur |
| Examination Committee(s) | Soparth Pongquan ;Datta, Avishek |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan ;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2016 |