Analyzing the economies of crop diversification in rural Vietnam using an input distance function

Another finding is that there is substantial technical inefficiency in multiple-crop farming implying opportunities to expand crop output by 18.7% without greater use of inputs or improved technologies in farm production. The improvement of education, particularly for women and the reduction of the dependency ratio contribute to improving technical efficiency. The estimated result shows that the impact of women's education on technical efficiency is much greater than the impact of men's education. Furthermore, land reforms aimed at the reduction of land fragmentation and proper land rights contribute to improving technical efficiency. Finally, the participation in nonfarm employment and crop diversification are also identified as efficiency policy variables in Vietnam's agricultural development.