We investigate the dual impact of self-initiated and organizationally initiated learning on the technical and environmental efficiency of rice producers in Bangladesh.
We use data envelopment analysis to measure technical efficiency (rice output relative to inputs) and environmental efficiency (minimizing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions with given inputs). These scores are analyzed using bootstrap truncated regression to assess the effects of self- and organizationally initiated learning, using data from Bangladeshi rice farms in 2015–2016 and 2018–2019.
Self-initiated learning channels are positively associated with environmental efficiency, particularly through farmer visits to non-government organizations, access to educational institutions, and Internet use. Organizationally initiated channels do not have any statistically significant impact on environmental efficiency. Moreover, no learning channel is found to have significant impact on technical efficiency.
This study has certain limitations: the unbalanced panel may affect temporal comparability and introduce bias; learning is measured using certain variables that might not fully capture the complex and gradual nature of the learning process; the focus on Bangladeshi rice producers limits generalizability, and environmental efficiency is measured by N2O emissions, omitting other possible impacts due to data limitations.
This research provides unique insights into how different learning channels affect farm efficiency. It highlights their distinct impacts on environmental efficiency and overall failure to deliver technical efficiency, offering important implications for policy-making and future research.
