Zeynab Latifi Cultivation UsingtheDataEnvelopment Analysis Investigating theTechnical EfficiencyofDate Palm ture &Natural Resources, ofTehran, University Karaj, * Corresponding author’s email:[email protected] b a Accepted: 01AugustReceived: 2019, County; regression cultivators; analysis; date palm Data envelopment Keywords: DepartmentofAgricultural Faculty of Development &Management, Corresponding author:DepartmentofMechanical Engineering,ShohadayeHoveizeh 11 October2020 a,* , andHosseinShabanaliFami Research Paper ISSN:2159-5860 (Online) ISSN: 2159-5852(Print) Available onlineon:www.ijamad.iaurasht.ac.ir International JournalofAgricultural Management andDevelopment

Abstract K cating theminterms ofoptimaluseinputs. the awareness andskillsofdate palmcultivators andedu- vators’ management efficiencycanbeincreased by increasing 98.66 and97.57percent, respectively. Inthisregion, culti- scale input-oriented andoutput-oriented efficiencieswere turns to scalewas 96.62percent, thevariable returns to In KarunCounty, theaverage efficiencyunderconstantre- output-oriented were respectively. 98.69and98.04percent, percent, thevariable returns to scaleinput-oriented and erage efficiencyunderconstantreturns to scalewas 97.56 were 100andpercent,inShirin-Shahr city, theav- to scaleinput-oriented andoutput-oriented inRabie city to scaleassumptionwas 100percent,thevariable returns respectively. Theaverage efficiencyunderconstantreturns efficient andnon-efficientdate palm cultivators’ management, showed thatRabie andShirin-Shahr citieshave themost each cityinApril2017tillFebruary 2018.Theresults samples across theregion, 50date palmcultivators from (DEA) method.200date palmcultivators were selected as parametric approach suchastheDataEnvelopment Analysis cities inthisCountyincludingfour cities,usinganon- cultivators’ managementinthewhole Karun,aswell asthe study was to calculate thetechnical efficiencyofdate palm production inputsare required. Themaingoalofthis optimal productionandtheefficientuseof management, to thelimitationsofdate palmproduction inthiscounty, the mainpillarsofdate production inIran. According huzestan Province, especially KarunCounty, isoneof b

Agricultural Economics College ofAgricul- & Development, University of Technology, University , Iran 383 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 384 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. particular importance( developing countries,includingIran, isof ef paying attention to theissueoftechnical of growth anddevelopment. Therefore, system withvarious problems intheprocess than inthepastandhasfaced thefarming available resources intheagricultural sector agricultural products hasmore limited the of resources inincreasing theproduction of technologies. Moreover, theunbalanceduse development andadoptionofmodern suf developing countries,are faced withalackof existing farming system, especially in the development ofrural communities. The enhance theliving standard offarmers and the incomeofagricultural units,which will other hand,have agreat impactonincreasing and quantityoftheseproducts and,onthe agricultural products canimprove thequality produced intheworld ( and itisranked assecondamongvarieties total production ofapproximately $813,600, dates by producing 1,185,165tons with a produced nearly 14.5percent oftheworld’s agricultural sector. Asof2017,Iran has major sources ofcurrency earningsinthe around theworld anditcanbeoneofthe Iranian date’s taste hasattracted consumers production and exports ofthedate palm. in theworld markets are dueto the enhancing thecompetitiveness ofthecountry community, preserving theenvironment, and providing food andsocialsecurityofthe employment inthelateral industries, agricultural products. Exchange, creating relative advantages compared to other product ofIran, isvery importantdueto its ef production indeveloping countries.The especially inthemanagementofagricultural important factors ofproductivity growth, 1997 has oneofthebest date palmtrees in The date palm,asthesecondhorticultural Technical ef f f iciency intheagricultural economy of icient useofinputsintheproduction of f icient resources andopportunitiesfor the ). INTRODUCTION f iciency isoneofthemost Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami FAO, 2019 Gittinger &Price, ). Karun Therefore, increasing thetechnical ef agricultural date palmsproduction units. evaluation ofthetechnical ef agriculture, especially palmproduction, isthe economic growth anddevelopment in brie international levels, someofwhich willbe been carriedoutattheglobal and measurement methods,several studieshave guide to overcome thesechallenges. date palmproduction inthearea canactasa studies ontheef of competitive sites ofthisproduct. Basic economic infrastructures andtherestoration movement ofresources to sites withpoor of date palmproduction will help the highest ef and showed thattheeastern regions hadthe They usedDataEnvelopment Analysis (DEA) between 20percent to andits 100percent, showed thatthefarmers’ ef irrigation ef regression to determine thedeterminants of using theDEA method.They alsoused being packaged ( countries, Afghanistan, andPakistan after to Turkey, Canada,Europe, Persian Gulf which isthe each hectare. Thisamountofproduction fertile, producing more than9tons ofdates hectares, outofwhich 2,600hectares are area ofdate palmtrees inKarunis2,800 diversity, andproximity to KarunRiver. The Khouzestan Province becauseoftheirquality, Karun Countyare thebestdate palmsin . Date palmtrees in ef production resources, oneofthemost Considering theshortageandlimitationof of agriculture inIran andthisregion. important role intheeconomicdevelopment management ofthisproduct plays an evaluated theef ef Yuan etal.(2010) 2018 Regarding theissueofef The study ofthedeterminants ofthe f f icient andeffective methodsfor achieving iciency inwheat f ly referred to. ). f iciency compared to otherareas. f f iciency. Theresults ofthisstudy irst-class date palmisexported f f iciency ofallcitiesinChina. iciency andsustainabilityof f investigated water use ields innorthwest China Agricultural Statistics, Chen andSong(2007) f iciency andits f iciency was f iciency of f iciency

respectively. in theproduction ofthisproduct, of thetotal productivity ofwheat growers technical ef about 15percent ofthesefarmers hada the mostef and BaluchestanHamadanProvince are The results ofthisstudy showed thatSistan producers in12provinces ofIran usingDEA. measured theef et al.(2017) (2015) more effectively. results showed thatallinputs were used producers in BamCountyusingDEA and the in that thesecountieswere ef 0.96, 0.95,andrespectively, implying Zabol, Zehak,andHirmandcountieswas showed thattheaverage annualef Analysis (WDEA) approach. Theresults period usingtheWindowDataEnvelopment of wheat production over the2014-2016 aimed to economically explore theef Behrouz andEmamiMeybodi (2014) ef farm sizehave apositive effect onwater use such asage,income,educationlevel, and results ofregression showed thatfactors average was 61.51percent. Inaddition,the and Zahakcounties,respectively. animal manure isrisk-reducing inHirmand rental isrisk-reducing inZabolCounty, and increasing inZabolandZahakcounties,labor cultivated areas are risk-reducing andrisk- Province ofIran. Theresults showed thatthe counties are located inSistanandBaluchistan approach asSFA. Zabol,Hirmand, andZahak Stochastic Frontier Analysis, parametric in thecrop year of2011-2012using three countiesofZabol,Hirmand,andZahak growers. They analyzed 265grape farmers in taking andriskaversion amonggrape an ef showed thatabout62percent offarmers had using DEA. Theresults oftheresearch cultivators intheriver region ofHormozgan technical ef f f iciency. luential factor underpinningthevariations f iciency below20percent andonly studiedthefactors affecting risk- Tajik etal.(2012) f f icient andnon-ef iciency ofmore than80percent. calculated theef Dahmardeh andSardar Shahraki f iciency ofthedate palm Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami Sardar Sharaki etal.(2018) f iciency ofwatermelon investigated the f f icient provinces icient. Also, an icient. f iciency ofdate f Abedpour iciency of f iciency

total productivity ofagriculture. the mostin respectively. Technological changewas oneof year inZaboli,Sib,andSuran districts, score was found to be0.93, 0.92,and0.95per which indicates theiref that theef of Zaboli,Sib,andSuran. The results showed Baluchistan Province ofIran inthree districts County located insouthernSistanand was composedofdate farmers ofSaravan over 2012-2016.Thestatisticalpopulation ef study is doneto measure thetechnical are necessary. Basedonthis,thepresent production andtheuseofproduction inputs Karun County, optimalmanagementofits limitations ofdate palmproduction factors in management ofinputs. are themajorcauseofinef under different levels oftechnical ef returns to scalealso,pomegranate orchards 68 percent in themodelassumingvariable assuming constantreturns to scaleandwas (2018) was found to betechnological variations. date growers’ ef DEA windowanalysis approach to determine Sardar Shahraki andKarim(2018) farms. ciency compared to mixed farms andwine have hadthehighest levels oftechnical ef farms asdairyfarms andgranivores ones f annual survey since2007till2015.Research gated intheFarm Accountancy DataNetwork using some as theDataEnvelopment Analysis (DEA), ef of theEuropean Unionin2007,thetechnical ef showed thattheaverage level oftechnical and BaluchistanProvince ofIran. Theresults performance. Khashislocated intheSistan comprehensive analysis ofsupercharged pomegranate producers witha studied theperformance ofKhashtownship indings have pointed outthatspecialized Due to thestudiescarriedoutand f f f iciency by anon-parametric approach such iciency ofthemanagement ofagricultural iciency was 46percent in the model to assessafterward theenlargement Karim andSardar Shahraki (2019) f iciency score offarmers was <1, f luential factors inchangingthe f indings andvariables investi- f iciency inSaravan County f iciency. Ef f iciency inthe usedthe Galluzzo f f iciency iciency f i-

385 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 386 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. and inef and nonparametric methods( are divided into two groups ofparametric of decision-makingunits,several methods suggestions are presented. last section,theresults oftheresearch and County anditsfour citiesisdiscussed.Inthe of date palmcultivators’ managementofthis which isplacedonthisfrontier, isef tion. Every Decision-MakingUnit(DMU), tier asanestimationoftheproduction func- possibility andconsidered apartofitsfron- structed acollectioncalledproduction Sadrolashra not limitations raised intheFarrell method, itdid cause ofscienti its four cities,thecalculationofef product andinputsoftheKarunCounty describing thestatisticaldescriptionof date palmgrowers. Inthefollowing, by expressing thepersonalcharacteristics of expressed usingregression analysis, after management ofdate palmcultivators are and outcomes’ section,factors affecting the Analysis (DEA) are explained. Intheresults the research, aswell astheDataEnvelopment methods section,theinputsandoutputsof units. management ofthementionedagricultural DEA andto identifythedeterminants of units producing date palminKarunusing metric methods.Citing based oneconomictheoriesusingnonpara- ef ef using different statisticalmethods.Then, estimated by acertainproduction function Sadeghi, 2004 ( speci lack ofneedfor particulardistributionora the mostimportantfeature ofwhich isthe The secondgroup isnonparametric methods, Battese, 1992;Coelli,1996;Rahimi Soreh & To evaluate theperformance andef Therefore, at f f iciency oftheAmericanagricultural sector iciency isdetermined usingthis function. f ind muchpractical applicationandre- f ic form ofmathematicalfunctions f icient otherwise( f i, 2006 METHODOLOGY ). In1957Farrell calculated the f ic problems inmeasuringand Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami f irst, inthematerials andirst, ). Parametric modelsare f ive principles, hecon- Farrell, 1957 Mohammadi &

f f iciency iciency f icient ). Be- f measured relative to theef land area, age,andeducationlevel ofdate the appropriate time, reduction oflosses, arrangement; removing cluster residues at chanical pollination; pruning;cluster regular gardening operations suchasMe- fertility, useofprincipalirrigation, useof well-being ofdate palmcultivators, thesoil palm cultivators, thelevel oftheeconomic the Agricultural JihadOrganization ofdate access to thecommunicationchannelsand and participationofdate palmcultivators, the which included:therate of socialcooperation were usedandde of experts andmanagersoftherelevant area theindicators usingtheviewsmanagement, units ( relative performance of decision-making programming technique for measuringthe Envelopment Analysis isaquantitative making units.Inotherwords, Data ef to estimate theproduction function,andthe not required to follow acertaindefault order eral factors andoutputs.Inthismethod,itis acteristic oftheproduction process withsev- Farrell methodsuchthatitincludesthechar- opment Analysis (DEA) by universalizing the (CCR) introduced themethodofDataEnvel- this problem, Charnes,Cooper, andRhodes mained silentfor years until1978.To remedy ef signi was usedinthisstudy. Consideringthe Therefore, DataEnvelopment Analysis (DEA) and thereference for inef the parametric methodsinproviding models nonparametric methodsincomparisonwith itisalsoimportant to usemanagement, relative ef programming modelthatcalculates the Analysis, which isakindoflinear nonparametric methodsis DataEnvelopment 2003 Khajeh Hassani,2016;Yong &Chunweki ef due to theresearch goalthatdetermines the irms ( f f f iciency ofa iciency ofdate palmcultivators’ iciency ofthedate cultivators’ f ). Oneofthemostimportant icance ofindicators inevaluating the Yong &Chunweki, 2003 Cooper etal.,2000;Zamanian& f iciency ofagroup ofdecision- f irm (decision-makingunit)is f ined as inputs of the model, ined asinputsofthemodel, f iciency ofother f icient units. ). Therefore, of thequestionnaire was returned, 240 method. To ensure thatthe desired number were assigned,usingacluster sampling people, outofwhich 47peopleineachcity Cochran formula, thesamplesizewas 188 in 4citiesofKarunCounty. According to the study consisted of1032date palmcultivators Therefore, thestatisticalpopulationof tree withan area ofatleastonehectare. cultivators, who hadatleastonedate palm population includedallthedate palm necessary statisticsanddata.Thestatistical face interviews were usedto collectthe completion ofthequestionnaire by face-to- library research, survey research, andthe completed inFebruary 2018.In thestudy, this research was started inApril2017and Shirin-Shahr. To achieve theresearch goals, cities ofKut-Abdullah, Kanan,Rabie, and this CountyisKut-Abdullah anditincludes4 Province, insouthwestern Iran. Thecenter of of themostimportantcountiesKhuzestan stage. of thedeterminants identi the DataEnvelopment Analysis withthehelp each cityiscalculated andcompared using of date palmcultivators inKarunCountyand regression. Inthesecond stage,theef determined usingthestatistical analysis of cultivators’ managementare identi factors affecting theef cultivators’ Inthe management. stages to calculate theef cultivators’ performance level. cultivators’ incomelevel, anddate palm cultivators’ managementlevel, date palm outputs ofthemodelare date palm way, theindicators usedandde experts andmanagersofthis the scienti performance ofdate palmcultivators using and usethemostimportantindicators ofthe cultivators, ithasbeenattempted to de of theperformance ofthedate palm of performance indicators intheevaluation palm cultivators. Also,dueto alarge number Thisresearch isconducted inKarun,one It’s noteworthy thatthisresearch usestwo f ic documentsandtheviews of Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami f iciency ofdate palm f iciency ofdate palm f ied inthe f ield. Inthis f irst stage, f f ined as f ied and iciency f f irst ine research hypotheses andhad9sections: based ontheobjectives, questions,and analyzed. Thequestionnaire was compiled (50 questionnaires from eachcity)and city), and200questionnaires were returned abovementioned 4cities(60peopleineach questionnaires were distributed inthe date palm cultivators. According to the newspapers; of KarunCounty, andattheend,journals Agricultural Jihad Organization Management Jihad organization; research centers; the sellers ofchemicalinputs;theagricultural production cooperatives; TVandradio; Agricultural Jihad Organization; rural promotion andservicecenters ofthe effective items: neighbors andfriends; cultivators’ views, thissectionmeasured 9 According to the priorityofdate palm Organization ofdate palmcultivators. channels andtheAgricultural Jihad village councils,andattheend,Basij; production cooperation, rural cooperatives, effective items: localformations, rural cultivators’ views, thissection measured 5 According to thepriorityofdate palm participation ofdate palm cultivators. clusters; pests, andattheend,thinningdate palm palm tree; spraying ofdate palmtrees against the date palmtrees, nutritionof thedate the petiole;observinghygiene notes in cultivars, arranging cluster asclampingon clusters; theabsenceofavariety ofdate palm petioles; theuseofcovering for date palm stems andtrunks ofthewelds; pruning of date palmwithothertrees; removing the remaining cluster; theabsenceofcultivation the useofspecialpollen;elimination irrigation methods;theuseofwindbreaker; irrigation underpressure orothermodern measured 14effective items: theuseof of date palmcultivators’ views, thissection management level. According to thepriority The Thefourth part:the economic welfare of The third part:accessto communication The secondpart:socialcooperation and f irst part:date palmcultivators’ 387 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 388 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. harvest, themanagementofirrigation and transfer ofdate palmto theland;multi-stage storage indate palmtrees; harvest and measures 8effective items: the proper palm cultivators’ views, thissection reduction. According to thepriorityofdate observing theratio oftheleafto thecluster; cluster; thinningcluster; napping;and at theproper time;usingthecoatingon the cluster; removing theremaining cluster pollination; pruning;arranging anddirecting measured 8 effective items: mechanical palm cultivators’ views, this section operations. According to thepriorityofdate water consumed; mulch to reduce theamountofirrigation irrigation duringtheyear; anduseofthe pollinating andfertile irrigation to reduce soilsalinity;irrigation in irrigation underpressure; supplementary measured 5effective items: theuseof date palmcultivators’ views, thissection irrigation use.According to thepriorityof at theend,cropping indate palmtrees; status; integrated and nutritionmanagement, fertilizers; having housingaccording to family consumable elements;useoforganic manure; useofchemicalfertilizers ofhigh- micronutrient elements;soiltest; useofgreen section measured 7effective items: Useof priority ofdate palmcultivators’ views, this government’s performance atthevillage; drinking water; andthesatisfaction ofthe leisure timeinthecountry;accessto sanitary the statusoffamily; having facilities for communications; having housingbasedon the satisfaction ofaccessto servicesand country; thesenseofbelongingto thevillage; insurance; thedesire to continueliving inthe medical facilities andtheuseofproper of thehousehold,usehealthand physical andmentalhealthofthemembers section measured 9effective items: the priority ofdate palmcultivators’ views, this The eighth part:theamountofwaste The seventh part:useofregular gardening The sixthpart:therate ofprinciple The f ifth part:soilfertility. According to the Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami f ields; regular of ef cultivators using theconstantreturns to scale calculate theef cultivators’ managementtechnical ef which isthecalculationofdate palm cultivators, are appliedinthenext stage, determinants ofmanagementdate palm results ofthis stage,which indicate the are examined asindependentvariables. The the level ofeducationdate palmcultivators waste reduction, thelandarea, theage,and regular gardening operations, theamountof the useofirrigation principle,theuseof date palmcultivators, thelevel ofsoilfertility, palm cultivators, theeconomicwelfare of the Agricultural JihadOrganization ofdate access to thecommunication channels and participation ofdate palmcultivators, the factors ofthelevel ofsocialcooperation and examined asadependentvariable andthe management ofdate palmcultivators is examined management ofdate palmcultivators are and diploma), three (diploma),four (associate), is alsocodedasone(illiterate), two (under degree ofeducationdate palmcultivators from one(very low)to sections are basedona5-pointLikert scale the landarea perhectare. of thedate palmcultivators inkilograms and hectare, theyield(thelevel ofperformance) of incomethedate palmcultivators per education ofdate palmcultivars, theamount of date palmcultivars, thedegree of the packaging product; integratedproduct, managementofpestsand undesirable date palmfrom theharvested controlling initialsortingweed for separating the production oflateral products; of unsuitabledate palmindifferent stagesfor nutrition ofthedate palmtrees; thenon-use ef model, Notably, theconstantreturns to In thisstudy, Equation1was usedto Asitwas stated, thefactors affecting the It shouldbenoted thatthe In theend,ninthpartincludesage f iciency scaleofasystem meanthat the f f ive (Bachelor’sdegree andhigher). iciency orCCR f irst. Forirst. regression analysis, the f iciency ofdate palm

( Charnes etal.,1978 f ive (very high). The f irst to eight f iciency. ) certain amountofproduct ( the goalisto useminimalinputsto achieve a of inputs,butintheinput-oriented approach, the production according to agiven amount oriented approach, thegoalisto maximize by addingconstraint ( assuming constantreturns to scale ef of thedualproblem in linearprogramming, ( f Thescalarvaluesset. obtainedfor willbe determinants oftheweights ofthereference N×1 vector containing K×N matrixoftheproduction factors, M×N matrixofproducts andthematrixXisa ef input-oriented, andoutput-oriented ef computations ofvariable returns to scale Equation 2was used.For thispurpose, ef 1996; Galluzzo,2013;2016 1978; Farrell, 1957; Battese, 1992;Coelli, ( outputs increase by theincrease intheinputs Cooper etal.,2000;Ghasiri2008 irms’ ef Mehregan, 2009 Bojnec &Latruffe, 2008 In theabove equation,thematrixYisan In thisstudy, the variable returns to scale To calculate variable returns to scale f f f iciency orBCC ( iciency willbedonewiththeformulation iciencies are calculated. Intheoutput- f iciency thatmeetscondition Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami ). Banker etal.,1984 Coelli etal.,2002; f ): ixed numbersand ). Charnes etal., ) model, f iciency λ

). isan (2) (1) coef was evaluated usingCronbach’s alpha area. Then,thereliability ofthequestionnaire completed inanarea otherthantheresearch questionnaire, 30questionnaires were data. To determine thereliability ofthe MATLAB software was usedto analyze the each other. Itshouldbenoted thatSPSSand region, andtheresults are compared with Karun Countyaswell asits4citiesinthe calculated for thedate palmcultivators of and output-oriented ef scale andthevariable returns to scaleinput of Karunisshownin of thesample,agedate palm cultivators cultivators are asfollows. Inabriefoverview deduced. questionnaires, thefollowing results canbe 0.87, which isacceptable. results, thequestionnaires’ reliability was sample ofdate palmcultivators. people under42years (only 17%)amongthe that there isasmallpercentage ofyoung 82 years old. Therefore, theresults indicate cultivators intheregion are between 42and results, nearly 83percent ofthedate palm regression test are presented in Theresults ofthebeen carriedout. variable and theindependentvariables has regression test between the dependent variable isinvestigated. Thus,alinear each independentvariable onthedependent mentioned. Inlinearregression, theeffect of and independentvariables, aspreviously relationship between thedependentvariable linear regression modelwas usedto management ofdate palmcultivators, the percent are underdiplomadegrees. cultivators inthisregion are illiterate and48 can beseen,only 15percent ofthedate palm the date palmcultivators ofKarunCounty. As In thisresearch, theconstantreturns to Personal characteristics ofdate palm By analyzing thedataobtainedfrom the Table 2 To investigate thefactors affecting the f icient inSPSSsoftware. According to the alsoshows theeducationlevel of RESULTS Table 1 f iciencies are . Basedonthe Table 3 f ind the . 389 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 390 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. soit 99598.5 89 15 63 100 9.5 26 15 48 1.5 19 Cumulativepercent 52 Independent variables 30 96 Percent 3 Frequency Bachelor’s degreeandhigher Associate Diploma Under diploma Illiterate Education level ad ra01 2.50 0.12 1.09 2.37 4.57 3.28 0.20 0.41 0.44 2.38 0.32 5.22 0.11 0.31 3.46 0.11 education ofdate palmcultivators age ofdte palmcultivators lands area reduction ofwastes use ofregular gardening operations use ofprincipleirrigation soil fertility economic welfare ofdate palmcultivators h ereo oilcoeainadpriiain00 .00.20 1.30 0.01 organization accesses to communicationchannelsandtheagricultural Jihad the degree ofsocialcooperation andparticipation 28 575100 92.5 73.5 49.5 17 2.5 7.5 19 24 32.5 14.5 2.5 15 38 48 65 29 Cumulative percent 5 Percent 72-82 62-72 52-62 42-52 Frequency 32-42 22-32 Age category (Year) R Investigating the Effect ofVariables onthe Management ofDate Palm Cultivators UsingRegression Test Table 3 TheEducation Level ofthe Date Palm Cultivators ofKarun County Table 2 Table 1 Frequency DistributionofDate Palm Growers BasedonAge inKarun County 2 = 0.82,F=79.419, Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami p -value= 0.00, *

p < 0.05, **

p < 0.01 Standardized coef .76.50 0.57 f icients t-test ** ** ** ** ** ** * * * p -value 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 regression coef Also, for theinterpretation ofeachthe therefore, itisnotentered into thenext stage. on themanagementofdate palmcultivators; participation doesn’t have asigni the degree ofsocialcooperation and cultivators’ Only management. thefactor of 4 trees ofthisregion from theviewpointof indicates thelower soilfertility ofdate palm average soilfertility ofdate palm trees cultivators inKarunisat anaverage level. The The economicwelfare ofdate palm palm cultivators inthearea to thesechannels. low, which indicates thelowaccess ofdate Jihad organization ofdate palmcultivators is communication channelsandtheagricultural inputs ofKarunCountyispresented in linear regression test. the calculationofef the next stage,they willbeintroduced into management ofdate palmcultivators. So,in cultivators have asigni land area; ageandeducationofdate palm gardening operations; reduction ofwastes; use ofprincipleirrigation; useofregular welfare ofdate palmcultivators; soilfertility, Agricultural JihadOrganization; economic access to communicationchannelsandthe signi signi regression coef units. Theinterpretation oftherest ofthe date palmcultivators willincrease by 0.44 increases bythemanagementof oneunit, improved by 0.57units.Also,ifsoilfertility management ofdate palmcultivators willbe cultivators increases by oneunit, agricultural Jihadorganization ofdate palm to communicationchannels andthe it canbestated thatfor example, iftheaccess in 79.419, withacon be thesame. . As indicated in The average level ofaccessto A general description oftheproduct and It isnoteworthy thatthevalue ofFequalto Table f f icant level (lessthan0.05),allfactors of icant level oflessthan0.01expressed

3 , refers to thesigni f f icients ofothervariables will Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami icients mentionedin Table 3 f idence level of0.99anda f iciency ofdate palm f icant effect onthe , according to the f icance ofthe f icant effect Table Table

3 ,

than othercities,which isthesameintwo of date palm cultivators inRabie cityis more area. Theuseofregular gardening operations palm cultivators andmore emphasisinthis four cities,which requires thetraining ofdate irrigation ofdate palmcultivators islowinall same soilfertility. Theuseofprincipled than theothertwo citiesthathave almostthe identical, anditcanbesaidthatisgreater Rabie andShirin-Shahr citiesisalmost more thaninothercities.Thesoilfertility in economic welfare ofdate palmcultivators is the agricultural Jihadorganization andthe the accessto communication channels and and inputsofKarunforfourcities The statisticaldescriptionoftheproduct for date palmcultivators ofthis region. highest incomeobtainedper hectare ishigh The difference between thelowest andthe production is33,122,000IRRperhectare. the average incomefrom date palm obtained from date palmtrees ishigh. Also, maximum andtheminimumofproducts hectare. Thedifference between the average, 4,379kg ofdate isproduced per cultivators indicates thatinthisarea, on middle level. Theperformance ofdate palm cultivators’ managementinKarunisonthe viewpoint ofdate palmcultivators, date palm this region have adiplomadegree. From the years. Onaverage, date palmcultivators of cultivators inthisarea isapproximately 54 small farms. Theaverage age ofdate palm agriculture inthisarea ismainly doneon hectares, which re land area ofdate palmtrees isabout3.3 County atanaverage level. Theaverage ofthe indicate thereduction ofwaste inKarun and more emphasisinthisarea. Theresults requires thetraining ofdate palmcultivators gardening operations isrelatively low, which use ofprincipledirrigation andregular date palmcultivators. Theaverage level of in inputs ofthefour citiesofKarunispresented It seemsthatinShirin-Shahr, onaverage,

A general descriptionoftheproducts and Table 5 . f lects thefact that

391 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 392 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. ad ra(etr)3330 25 2.6 3.1 5 83 1 3.1 1 1.9 2.6 1 22 1.9 3.02 3.8 0.28 8000 0.46 1.2 12 0.9 0.3 1.3 3.3 900 2.5 0.32 1.4 4 54.4 2.4 0.69 2.5 1625 2.1 1.8 per hectare) 4397 2.4 The incomeofthedate palmcultivators (1000IRR Performance ofthedate palmcultivators (kilograms) 0.53 Management ofthedate palmcultivators Education ofdate palmcultivators Age ofpalmcultivators (year) 2.9 Lands area (hectare) Reduction ofwastes Use ofregular gardening operations Use ofprincipleirrigation Soil fertility Economic welfare ofdate palmcultivators agricultural Jihadorganization Accesses to communicationchannelsandthe aibe Mean Variables aibe025.2 . .(3)262926.9 . . .(1)23.1 2 1.9(.16) 2.9 2.1 2.6(.29) 2.9 2.6 2.2(.33) 3 variable11 2.1 2.5(.22) variable10 variable12 Variables aibe .(9)1423.9 .(9)1522.7 5 1 83 2.2(.77) 19 22 5 3.1 1 52(16) 3.93(3.82) 3.6 1.9 1 74 2.6 9 2.7(.94) 2.7(.18) 2.6 38 4 1.1 2.5(.55) 3 1 4 54(9) 4.1 1.8(.25) 3.3 2.6(1.8) 1 78 2.2 2.9 2.1 2 10 2.8(.32) 1.5 2.3(.89) 39 3.6(.25) 3.1(.65) 3 1 3(.44) 1 4 3.8 58(11) 3.1 1.6(.50) 2.7(1.94) 2.8 1.9 2.1 78 1.5 2.3 1 25 2.4(.31) 2.8(.32) 1.7 1.9(.52) 2.3(.93) 32 1 2.7 3.7 2.2(.45) variable9 1 53.8(11) 3 3.2 variable8 1.2(.45) 4.1(3.7) 1.9 2.3 variable7 1.9 2.5(.15) 1.3 1.9 2.5(.35) variable6 1.9(.39) 1.9(.42) 3.7 variable5 1 3.2 1.1(.16) 1.8 variable3 2.9(.49) 1.3 variable2 1.7(.27) variable1 Statistical Description ofthe Product andInputsofKarun County Table 4 ral42.4 . . (3)142622.1 . . (1)122.4 1.2 2(.16) 2.6 1.6 2.2(.41) 2.6 1.4 2(.30) 2.6 1.6 2(.34) vriable4 Variable12: incomeofthedate palmcultivators; Variable11: performance ofthedate palmcultivators; Variable10: management ofthedate palmcultivators; Variabble9: education ofthedate palmcultivators; Variable7: landsarea; Variable8: ageofthedate palm cultivators; Variable6: reduction ofwastes; Variable5: useofregular gardening operations; Variable4: useofprincipleirrigation; Variable3: soilfertility; Variable2: theeconomicwelfare ofthedate palmcultivators; Variable1: accessesto communicationchannelsandtheAgricultural JihadOrganization; Statistical Description ofthe Product andInputsfor Kut-Abdollah, Kanan, Rabie andShirin-Shahr Cities Table 5 (1161) (3736) 31938 Mean 4400 (SD) u-bolhKnnRbeShirin-Shahr Rabie Kanan Kut-Abdollah Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami 30 39000 23400 206200 1200 i.Max. Min. (1596) (5617) 34300 Mean 3950 (SD) 40 46000 24000 577000 4557 i.Max. Min. 32 4024046000 23400 5440 33120 . .3134.1 1.3 0.63 2.2 (1805) (6091) 34390 Mean 4650 (SD) 40 46000 24000 deviation 208000 1200 Standard i.Max. Min. (5609) (1801) 31858 Mean 1000 (SD) i.Max. Min. 30 38000 23400 20900 6200 i.Max. Min. variety ofef respectively. outputs, presented in outputs, minimizinginputs,andmaximizing cultivators withincreasing inputs,increasing which indicate the situationofdate palm palm cultivators’ managementineachcity, andoutput-oriented ef input, Returns to scale,theVariable Returns to Scale cities cultivators’ managementofKarunforfour Calculation oftheef almost thesame. same). ThelandsofKananandRabie isalso Abdollah andShirin-Shahr isalmostthe income ofdate palmcultivators ofKut- same andmore thanothercities(theaverage Rabie andKananperhectare is almostthe average incomeofdate palmcultivators of same, butmore thanShirin-Shahr. The Abdollah, Kanan,andRabie isalmostthe palm cultivators ofthethree citiesofKut- of managementandperformance ofdate According to date palmcultivators, thelevel city ishigher (diploma)thantheotherthree. education ofdate palmcultivators ofRabie the same(underdiploma),butlevel of Abdollah, Kanan,andShirin-Shahr are almost education ofdate palmcultivators ofKut- is approximately thesame).Thelevel of cities (themeanageoftheotherthree cities cultivators ofKananismore thantheother two cities.Theaverage ageofdate palm the same,which are greater thantheother cities ofKut-Abdollah andShirin-Shahr are average, thelandsofdate palmtrees oftwo of wastes isalmostthesameinallcities.On Kut-Abdollah andKanancities.Thereduction cultivators andtheoptimal useofinputsand small difference between thedate palm 2.44 percent between them,indicatingavery average withadifference of97.56 percent, of Shahr hasthemostinef with anaverage of100percent andShirin- Rabie cityhasallocated themostef The results related to thecalculationofa IntheConstantReturns to scaleef

f iciencies includedtheConstant Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami f iciency ofdate palm Tables 6 f iciency withan f iciency ofdate , 7 , 8 f f and iciency, iciency 9 , percent. Thedifference between thesetwo inef percent andShirin-Shahr isthemost the mostef Scale output-oriented ef achieving optimalef without theneedto reduce outputin have made agreat effort to reduce input that date palmcultivators ofthesetwo cities difference with complete ef percent, respectively. Thenegligible same withavalue of99.71percent and99.96 of Kut-Abdullah andKananisalmostthe average input-oriented ef without theneedto reduce Also,the output. management ofthiscityandreduce input ef that there isstillapotential to increase the respectively.percent, Thedifference indicates oriented ef the mostvariable returns to scaleinput- the otherhand,inShirin-Shahr, theleastand reduce outputto achieve fullef percent oftheirinputwithouttheneedto cultivators ofShirin-Shahr canreduce 1.31 de in thereduction ofinputsto thespeci cities andtheeffort ofdate palmcultivators between thedate palmcultivators oftwo which indicates thatthere isalowdifference percent, withadifference of1.31percent, inef percent andShirin-Shahr isthemost most ef to Scaleinput-oriented ef and 98.35percent isalmostthesame. Kut-Abdollah andKananwith98.81percent Also, theaverage ef palm cultivators’ managementinthiscity. potential for increasing thisef percent shows thatthere isstillagreat respectively,100 percent, thedifference of20 Constant Returns to scaleis80percent and the lowest andhighest ef Ontheotherhand,inShirin-Shahr,output. achievement oftheoptimalamount Also, interms oftheVariable Returns to In terms ofthevalue ofthevariable Returns f f iciency ofdate palmcultivators’ ined output. However,ined output. date palm f f icient citywithanaverage of98.04 icient citywithanaverage of98.69 f icient citywithanaverage of100 f f iciencies are 89percent and100 icient citywithanaverage of100 f f iciency. iciency ofthecities f iciency, Rabie city is f f iciency, Rabie isthe iciency ofthecities f iciency indicates f iciency ofthe f iciency ofdate f iciency. On f ically 393 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 394 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. the needto increaseAlso,theaverage input. management andincrease outputwithout ef there isstillagreat potential to increase the respectively. Theirdifference indicates that ef any needto increase inputto achieve full increase 1.96percent oftheiroutputwithout that date palmcultivators ofShirin-Shahr can need to increase Itcanbesaid total input. their effort to increase theoutputwithout difference between date palmcultivators and cities is1.96percent andshows thelow ef the lowest andthehighest output-oriented i.9 590 100 10 90 99.13 5 2.32 100 45 95 - 100 99.71 0.96 - 50 100 90 88 12 98.81 2.65 44 6 Max. Min. Standard deviation Mean 95-100 90-95 85-90 80-85 i.9 893 100 10 90 98.44 5 2.11 100 45 98 - 100 99.96 0.26 - 50 100 93 90 10 98.35 2.12 45 5 Max. Min. Standard deviation Mean 95-100 90-95 85-90 80-85 f f A Variety ofthe Date Palm Cultivators’ Management Ef Table 7 A Variety ofthe Date Palm Cultivators’ Management Ef Table 6 f iciency. Ontheotherhand,inShirin-Shahr, iciencies are 83percent and100percent, iciency ofdate palmcultivators’ Ef Ef f f iciency iciency (%) (%) Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami rqec ecn rqec ecn rqec Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency rqec ecn rqec ecn rqec Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency ------R R nu-retdVRS output-oriented VRS input-oriented CRS R R nu-retdVRS output-oriented VRS input-oriented CRS f f presented in cultivators’ managementofKarun,are output-oriented ef the Variable Returns to Scaleinput and including theConstantReturns to scaleand increase input. increasing outputwithouttheneedto cities cantryto achieve optimalef that thedate palmcultivators ofthesetwo Their difference withfullef percent respectively. and98.44percent, is almostidenticalwithavalue of99.13 of thisef iciency ofKanan iciency ofKut-Abdollah Various typesoftechnical ef

f iciency inKut-Abdollah andKanan Table

10 f iciency ofdate palm . f iciency shows f f iciency by iciencies, a.1010100 100 100 0 100 100 50 100 100 100 0 50 100 100 100 100 0 50 Max. Min. Standard deviation Mean 95-100 90-95 85-90 80-85 i.8 683 100 97.57 3 4.5 13 79.5 3.98 100 86 9 26 6 159 98.66 3.5 8 88.5 - 2.92 100 177 7 16 80 83 - 100 96.62 74 14.5 8 3.5 88 6 98.04 4.54 148 29 4.31 16 Max. 44 7 100 3 89 Min. Standard deviation Mean 95-100 90 98.69 - 90-95 85-90 80-85 2.64 45 100 80 - 86 97.56 8 5.07 43 Max. 4 Min. Standard deviation Mean 95-100 90-95 85-90 80-85 A Variety ofthe Date Palm Cultivators’ Management Ef Table 9 A Variety ofthe Date Palm Cultivators’ Management Ef Table 8 A Variety ofthe Date Palm Cultivators’ Management Ef Table 10 Ef Ef Ef f f f iciency iciency iciency (%) (%) (%) Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami rqec ecn rqec ecn rqec Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency rqec ecn rqec ecn rqec Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency 124824 241212 ------R R nu-retdVRS output-oriented VRS input-oriented CRS R R nu-retdVRS output-oriented VRS input-oriented CRS VRS output-oriented VRS input-oriented CRS f f f iciency ofShirin-Shahr iciency ofRabie iciency ofKarun County 395 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 396 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. output-oriented ef have anef Also, 88.5percent ofdate palmcultivators preventing thelossofproduction inputs. decreasing a given product,thereby, by reducing theuseofinputswithout Thefarms canincreaseinput. theiref study, donotuseproduct-speci palm cultivators, who are involved inthe inef between themostef average value Thedifference is97.57percent. percent and83percent,respectively, andthe ef Thehighest100 percent. andthelowest ef there isstillapotential for increasing this ef inputs. Theef lack ofplanningfor optimaluseofproduction date palmcultivators’ managementandtheir between themostef the average is98.66percent.Thedifference lowest values are and 100and86percent, input-oriented ef Concerning theVariable Returns to Scale between 95percent and100percent. a ConstantReturns to scaleef that 74percent ofdate palmcultivators have date palmcultivators’ managementindicates greater Areview effort. ofthefrequency of desired ef 16.62 percent,which suggeststhatthe production unitandtheaverage ef indicates asigni date palmcultivator is14percent,which most inef ef the region to produce. Also,thedifference in speci between manufacturers andtheabsenceofa indicates thatthere isahugedifference inef between themostef value is96.62percent.Thedifference and 80percent,respectively, andthemean the ConstantReturns to scaleare 100percent The highest andthelowest ef f f f f iciency values ofVariable Returns to Scale iciency. Therefore, itcanbesaidthatdate iciency is 12.66 percent, whichiciency is12.66percent, shows that iciency between themostinef f f icient management of date palm icient producer is20percent,which f ic program by date palmcultivators of f iciency ofbetween 95percent and f f icient unitandtheaverage iciency canbeachieved with f iciency difference between the f Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami icant difference between the f iciency, thehighest andthe f iciency values are 100 f f f icient andinef icient andthemost icient andthemost f iciencies of f f ic optimal iciency of f iciency is f iciency f f icient icient well inreducing inputsspeci palm cultivators ofKarunhave beendoing ingeneral,percent. Thissuggeststhat, date input-oriented ef in theregion istheVariable Returns to Scale percent. Themosteffective ef ef percent ofdate palmcultivators have an border ofef to useinputsofproduction andto beonthe increasing outputwithoutincreasing inputs understudy canincrease theiref increasing thisef which shows thatthere isstillapotential for and theaverage ef between themostinef Also,thedifferenceinput. inef in increasing outputwithoutincreasing cultivators andthere isaneedfor more effort there isahugedifference between date palm cultivators which is17percent, indicates that the sameef cities ofKut-Abdullah andKananhave almost Thewithout theneedto changetheinput. f of thiscitydonotusetheavailable inputsef- stated, itseemsthatthe date palmcultivators situation ofShirin-Shahr inputs,aspreviously respectively. Consideringthedesirable percent, and98.04percent for Shirin-Shahr, Rabie andequalto 97.56percent,98.69 average ef cultivators’ respectively. management, Allthe ef and Shirin-Shahr citieshave themost The results ofthestudy showed thatRabie and four citiesofthisCountywere calculated. cultivators’ managementinKarunCounty output-oriented ef the Variable Returns to Scaleinputand regression, theConstantReturns to scaleand management ofdate palmcultivators using Scale ef value isrelated to theConstantReturns to product. Also,themostinef iciently andthey canincrease output After identifyingthefactors affecting the f f icient andthemostinef iciency ofbetween 95percent and100 f iciency, which is96.62percent. f iciencies were 100percent for f iciency ofproduction. Also,79.5 f iciency levels. Comparingthe DISCUSSION f f iciency. Therefore, farms f iciency, which is98.66 iciency is14.57percent, f iciency ofdate palm f icient production unit f icient ofdate palm f icient average f f iciency mean ic to agiven f iciency by f iciency to Scaleoutput-oriented ef the difference between theVariable Returns the optimaluseofproduction inputs.Besides, management andlackoftheirplanningfor between thedate palm cultivators’ indicatingaratherpercent, large difference the mostef most inef that themosteffective average ofef and Sardar Shahraki etal.in2018, itemerges 2017, Sardar Shahraki andKarimin2018, researches carriedoutby Abedpour etal.in results ofthis study are inlinewithother output withoutincreasingThe theinput. the needfor more effort to increase the difference between date palmcultivators and percent ,indicating anapproximate high management ofdate palmcultivators is17 producers andtheabsenceofaspeci indicating alarge difference between ef ef Variable Returns to Scaleinput-oriented On theotherhand,difference inthe production program by date palmcultivators. ef difference oftheConstantReturns to scale 98.66, and97.57percent,respectively. The management ofKarunwere 96.62percent, oriented ef Variable Returns to Scaleinputandoutput- achieve thedesired ef full ef Abdullah, andKananare notsofar from the Shahr (themostinef to 1.Thedate palmcultivators ofShirin- or very closeto theoptimalthreshold equal ef appropriate. Inotherwords, thetechnical management infour citiesofKarunCountyis ef Shahraki in2019,itcanbesaidthatthe Tajik etal.in2012,KarimandSardar to theresults ofothers’research, suchas assessed inseveral previous studies,contrary Karun CountyandothercountiesofIran average values ofthetechnical ef The ConstantReturns to Scaleandthe f f f f f iciency between themostef iciency was 20percent between themost icient andthemostinef iciency ofthisregion hasbeenequalto 1 iciency ofdate palmcultivators’ f iciency, implying thatthey canstill f icient date palmcultivars was 14 f iciencies ofdate palmcultivators’ f icient andthemostinef Investigating theTechnical Efficiency... /LatifiandShabanaliFami f iciency by more effort. f icient city),Kut- f f icient producers, iciency between f icient andthe f iciency in f iciencies f icient f ic according to the principles ofaquifer among date palmcultivators. Inthisway, consumption andproperly distribute water taken into accountto reduce water over- management oftheCountyissuggested to be groundwater aquifer inIran, regional water shortage andthecriticalstatusof water isused inef among date palmcultivators indicate that Also, theresults obtainedfrom theinputs effectiveness andef extension programs, soitcanensure the increase farmers’ con workers. Training native extension workers between farmers andagricultural extension thereby, increase the scopeoftherelations educational problems offarmers. Itcan, the extension programs, while tacklingthe workers to attract farmers’ participationin organizations shouldtrain native extension pro production anduseofinputsto maximize cultivators isto improve theoptimal content for empowering date palm and usewhat they are participating in. date palmcultivators canbetter understand The goodnessoftheseapproaches isthat centered participatory training approaches. noted thatsuchcoursesmust uselearner- training coursescanbehelpful.Itshould educating thedate palmcultivators through cultivators inthiscontext. Therefore, the awareness andskillsof date palm of production, soitisimportantto increase cultivators interms ofknowledge andskills indicates theweakness ofdate palm ef related to theConstantReturns to Scale inef inputs ofagiven product. Moreover, themost cultivators have beendoingwell inreducing ingeneral,This suggeststhat, date palm Returns to Scaleinput-oriented ef in theregion isrelated to theVariable Itshouldalsobenoted that educational The difference inthetechnical ef f iciency. f f its. For this,theprovincial agricultural icient average value ofef CONCLUSION f iciently. Dueto thewater f iciency oftheprograms. f idence andtrustinthe

f iciencies is f f iciency. iciency 397 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. 398 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020. Battese, G.E.(1992).Frontier production Bojnec, S.,&Latruffe L. (2008).Measures of Behrouz, A., &EmamiMeybodi, A.(2014). an earlierversion ofthispaper. reviewers for theirinsightful commentson collection ofdata.Thanks to anonymous improve thisresearch andhissupportinthe Organization for hishelpfulsuggestionsto Khuzestan ConstructionEngineering effort ofMr. Farbod NazariForoushani ofthe water. increase ofaddedvalue andoptimaluseof resources intheseareas willleadto an and encouraging investors to invest inwater channels, precision measuringinstruments, physical infrastructure, includingwater other hand,equippingdate palmfarms with producers willalsobeenhanced.Onthe stability, theproduction ef Banker, R.D., CharnesA.,&Cooper, A.(1984). 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399 International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 10(4), 383-399, December 2020.