Eficiencia y prácticas productivas en agricultura familiar. El caso de los pequeños productores hortícolas de Maimará, Tilcara, Jujuy-Argentina

Abstract

Family farming as a way of production and reproduction is currently presented with renewed vigor as an alternative model of development. From international organizations it was suggested to promote it in order to ensure global food security. However, there are few studies that analyze its productive potentials and the practices that they carried out. This work has as general objective to provide empirical evidence about the different levels of efficiency in family farming and production practices, to obtain clues linked to a family of high-efficiency agriculture production. The study was conducted in the town of Maimará, Province of Jujuy. The research was at the first mainly quantitative, where the econometric method Data Envelopment Analysis, was used to estimate the relative productive efficiency of farms. The second stage seek to account for productive practices associated with efficiency levels identified. In these stage a more qualitative approach was used, taking four cases of studies. The results indicate that productivity in the area of Maimará could be increased by 30% without altering the level of inputs used. The analysis also shows that efficiency levels identified are unrelated to higher rates of harvested area, capital, technology, infrastructure and natural resources; somehow the most differentiating power input is labor. Regarding to productive practices, it was not found in them evidence to explain the levels of efficiency, though it is considered that it would be feasible to think about that the different motivations and objectives of farmers the elements that may eventually provide greater explanatory potential.

Family farming as a way of production and reproduction is currently presented with renewed vigor as an alternative model of development. From international organizations it was suggested to promote it in order to ensure global food security. However, there are few studies that analyze its productive potentials and the practices that they carried out. This work has as general objective to provide empirical evidence about the different levels of efficiency in family farming and production practices, to obtain clues linked to a family of high-efficiency agriculture production. The study was conducted in the town of Maimará, Province of Jujuy. The research was at the first mainly quantitative, where the econometric method Data Envelopment Analysis, was used to estimate the relative productive efficiency of farms. The second stage seek to account for productive practices associated with efficiency levels identified. In these stage a more qualitative approach was used, taking four cases of studies. The results indicate that productivity in the area of Maimará could be increased by 30% without altering the level of inputs used. The analysis also shows that efficiency levels identified are unrelated to higher rates of harvested area, capital, technology, infrastructure and natural resources; somehow the most differentiating power input is labor. Regarding to productive practices, it was not found in them evidence to explain the levels of efficiency, though it is considered that it would be feasible to think about that the different motivations and objectives of farmers the elements that may eventually provide greater explanatory potential.