Collective Water Management and Technical Efficiency in Rice Production: Evidence from China

The factors influencing collective water management and their impact on technical efficiency in rice production were investigated. The analysis was based on a group- and household-level data set collected in 2006-2007 in Hubei, China. We found that water user groups with high social capital and with high homogeneity of crop varieties cultivated can successfully operate a collective water management. Our stochastic frontier analyses showed that successful collective water management had a significant positive effect on improving technical efficiency in rice production because it provides sufficient irrigation water at critical stages of rice cultivation. According to the results of this study, the government should play active roles in associations' accumulation of social capital, to improve the ability of collective water management and the technical efficiency of rice production.