A Study On The Decomposition Of Agricultural Total Factor Productivity Of Yangtze River Delta

Agriculture is the core of the problem of the security of food and the stability of society in China. In recent years, the development of the agriculture in China is inefficient, and driven by the increase of material input. As the growth of the demand and the strengthening constraints of natural resource, the extensive mode of growth is becoming more and more unsustainable. Total Factor Productivity, as a comprehensive index to measure the efficiency of the growth of the economy, has been attracting the attention of academia, and has been in thorough research. We need to turn the major engine of growth of the agriculture in China from material input to the total factor productivity, so that we can maintain a stable and sustainable growth of agriculture and the further development of rural economy. In Yangtze River Delta region, as one of the most developed area in China, the level of the development in agriculture should also be in the leading position in China. However, at present the development of agriculture in Yangtze River Delta region is not good enough as its total factor productivity growth rate is low and mainly rely on technological progress rather than technology efficiency. Technology efficiency cannot keep up with technological progress and has less contribution in the development of total factor productivity. Therefore, further research on agricultural total factor productivity and efficiency of agricultural technology of Yangtze River Delta is of great significance.Using the total factor production theories as theoretical framework, Combining qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis, empirical analysis and normative analysis, this paper mainly uses stochastic frontier analysis and data envelopment analysis to measure the 16 cities’ agricultural TFP growth, components, and the convergence in 2000-2012 so as to clear the general trends and characteristics of agricultural TFP growth in Yangtze River Delta region. Conclusions of this study show that:first, agricultural total factor productivity levels of Yangtze River Delta in general were the trend of volatility increments, however, the progress of agricultural technologies rather than the technologic efficiency is the core power of agricultural TFP enhance. We should pay attention to the contribution of technical efficiency of agriculture. Second, agricultural development shows significant differences among cities in Yangtze River Delta region, but can converge to the same steady state and the gap between cities will be smaller and smaller in the long time, so communication and cooperation need to be enhanced between cities in Yangtze River Delta region. Third, the cities in Yangtze River Delta region are in the decreasing returns to scale interval as a whole, so they should reduce the scale of production of agriculture and improve the production efficiency, and promote industrialization of agriculture. On the base of the analysis in this entire dissertation, the suggestions on policies are listed as follows:attach great importance to total factor productivity modern agriculture, improve the technical efficiency of agriculture to promote the application of agricultural science and technology, promoting urbanization and industrialization of agriculture, developing peasants’ abilities to increase the storage of human capital, strengthen the investment to infrastructure and service system on agriculture, differentiated ways of development and enhance the communication and cooperation between cities in Yangtze River Delta region.