Energy efficiency improvement and input energy saving in canola production using Data Envelopment Analysis approach

Subject Areas :

Received: 2016-12-27 Accepted : 2017-03-07 Published : 2017-05-22

Keywords: DEA, Technical efficiency, analysis Optimization, CCR and BCC models,

Abstract :

Abstract The objective of this study was the application of non-parametric method of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to analyze the efficiency of farmers, discriminate efficient farmers from inefficient ones and to identify wasteful uses of energy for canola production in Mazandaran province, Iran. This method was used based on six energy inputs including human labor, machinery, diesel fuel, fertilizers, biocide and seed energy and three output of canola (yield). Technical, pure technical, scale and cross efficiencies were calculated using CCR and BCC models for farmers. From this study the following results were obtained: from the total of 52 farmers, considered for the analysis, 0.09 % and 46.15 % were found to be technically and pure technically efficient, respectively. The average values of technical, pure technical and scale efficiency scores of farmers were found to be 0.73, 0.99 and 0.74, respectively. The comparative results of energy indices revealed that by optimization of energy consumption, energy efficiency, energy productivity and net energy with respect to the actual energy use can be increased by 1.29 %, 3.50 % and 0.43 %, respectively. Keywords: analysis Optimization, DEA, CCR and BCC models, Technical efficiency,