Bridging the Yield Gap in Soybean Farming: Technical Efficiency and Key Determinants from a Stochastic Frontier Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

The study aimed to analyze the technical efficiency of soybean production and identify factors influencing the technical inefficiency among soybean farmers in Chiang Mai Province. Data were collected through interviews with 100 soybean farmers across four districts in Chiang Mai: Chiang Dao, Hang Dong, Phrao, and Mae Rim. The analysis was conducted using the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) method, employing a Cobb-Douglas production function integrated with a copula model, and was performed using the R Studio program. The findings found that farmers' average technical efficiency score in producing soybeans was 0.77, suggesting a moderate efficiency level with a 23 percent potential for improvement. The labor hours utilized in production, expenditure on fertilizers, and the quantity of soybean seeds used statistically significantly influenced soybean yield. The results further revealed that landownership and farming experiences significantly negatively impacted technical inefficiency in soybean production. In contrast, farm size exhibited a significant positive impact on technical inefficiency. Consequently, the study suggested that adjusting these factors could reduce technical inefficiency in soybean production among farmers in Chaing Mai Province.