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Analysis of productivity and efficiency of food system firms

7.5 hp
2025-11-03 - 2026-01-18
Uppsala
English
Application Code: SLU-M2156
Course Code: NA0198
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Entry Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to

Bachelor’s degree of at least 180 credits, with the main field of study, at least 90 credits, in an economics or business subject

15 credits statistics

15 credits economics at second-cycle level

English 6

Course facts

Course name
Analysis of productivity and efficiency of food system firms
Swedish course name
Produktivitets- och effektivitetsanalys av företag i livsmedelssystemet
Level
Second cycle (A1N)
Main field of study
Economics
Credits
7.5 credits
Rate of study
50 %
Study location
Uppsala
Form of instruction
Campus-based instruction
Application code
SLU-M2156
Course code
NA0198
Course language
English
Offered as a freestanding course
Ja
Tuition fee
0 SEK
Tuition fees only for non-EU/EEA/Switzerland citizens

NA0198, Analysis of productivity and efficiency of food system firms, 7.5 Hp
Print syllabus

Syllabus

Finalized by: Jon Petter Gustafsson, 2022-12-09
Valid from : Spring semester 2024 (2024-01-15)

Level

Second cycle (A1N)

Main field of study

Economics

Grading Scale

The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.

Course language

English

Entry Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to

Bachelor’s degree of at least 180 credits, with the main field of study, at least 90 credits, in an economics or business subject

15 credits statistics

15 credits economics at second-cycle level

English 6

Objectives

The course aims at providing students with advanced understanding of performance measurement and assessment of firms in the food system, with a specific focus on the agricultural component of the system. The course also discusses performance in relation to various types of risk exposure of firms.

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

  • conceptualise firm performance in terms of productivity and efficiency
  • measure and estimate firm productivity and efficiency using empirical methods
  • critically discuss reasons for production inefficiencies
  • analyse risk exposure of firms and discuss how it can impact productivity and efficiency
  • describe sustainability performance measurement and discuss it in relation to production efficiency.

Content

Subject content:

The course starts with a review of productivity and efficiency analysis and of how productivity and efficiency can be estimated using empirical methods. After this follows impact evaluation of production efficiency and a critical assessment of reasons for inefficiency. The course ends with a review on risk exposure and how it can affect productivity and efficiency and with a review of sustainability performance measurement and how it relates to production efficiency.

Course implementation:

The course uses different teaching methods to promote students' learning and discussions through:
Lectures, exercises, seminars, group work and individual studies.

The course focuses on the following general competences:
Critical thinking, scientific methods, independence.

The following components are compulsory:
Seminars.

Examination Formats and Requirements for Passing the Course

Passed written exam<br> Approved participation in compulsory components.<br> Approved written report.

Responsible Department/Equivalent

Department of Economics

Supplementary information

Module set

Title Credits Code
Single module 7.5 0001

The Course Replaces

NA181

Book:

  • Coelli, T., Rao, D., O’Donnell, C., and Battese, G. (2005). An introduction to efficiency and productivity analysis. An Introduction To Efficiency and Producvitity Analysis.

Articles:

  • Färe, R., Grosskopf, S., Lovell, C. A. K., and Yaisawarng, S. (1993). Derivation of Shadow Prices for Undesirable Outputs - a Distance Function-Approach. The Review of Economics and Statistics 75: 374–380.

  • Brümmer, B., Glauben, T., and Thijssen, G. (2002). Decomposition of Productivity Growth Using Distance Functions: The Case of Dairy Farms inThree European Countries. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 84: 628–644.

  • Färe, R., Grosskopf, S., Noh, D.-W. W., and Weber, W. (2005). Characteristics of a polluting technology: theory and practice. Journal of Econometrics 126: 469–492.

  • Cuesta, R. a., Lovell, C. A. K. A. K., Zofío, J. L., and Zofio, J. L. (2009). Environmental efficiency measurement with translog distance functions: A parametric approach. Ecological Economics 68: 2232–2242.

  • Latruffe, L., and Nauges, C. (2014). Technical efficiency and conversion to organic farming: The case of France. European Review of Agricultural Economics 41: 227–253.

  • Njuki, E., and Bravo-Ureta, B. E. (2015). The Economic Costs of Environmental Regulation in U.S. Dairy Farming: A Directional Distance Function Approach. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 97: 1087–1106.

  • Picazo-Tadeo, A. J., Beltrán-Esteve, M., and Gómez-Limón, J. A. (2012). Assessing eco-efficiency with directional distance functions. European Journal of Operational Research 220: 798–809.

  • Guesmi, B., and Serra, T. (2015). Can we improve farm performance? The determinants of farm technical and environmental efficiency. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy 37: 692–717.

  • Pérez Urdiales, M., Lansink, A. O., and Wall, A. (2016). Eco-efficiency Among Dairy Farmers: The Importance of Socio-economic Characteristics and Farmer Attitudes. Environmental and Resource Economics 64: 559–574.

  • Huang, W., and Bruemmer, B. (2017). Balancing economic revenue and grazing pressure of livestock grazing on the Qinghai-Tibetan-Plateau. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 61: 645–662.

  • Hansson, H. H., Manevska-Tasevska, G., and Asmild, M. (2018). Rationalising inefficiency in agricultural production - the case of Swedish dairy agriculture. European Review of Agricultural Economics 47: 1–24.

  • Martinez Cillero, M., Wallace, M., Thorne, F., and Breen, J. (2021). Analyzing the Impact of Subsidies on Beef Production Efficiency in Selected European Union Countries. A Stochastic Metafrontier Approach. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 103: 1903–1923.

  • Koiry, S., and Huang, W. (2023). Do Ecological Protection Approaches Affect Total Factor Productivity Growth of Cropland Production in Sweden? Ecological Economics 209: 107829.

academic year 2025/2026

Analysis of productivity and efficiency of food system firms (NA0198-20156)
2026-01-11 - 2026-02-01

academic year 2023/2024

Analysis of productivity and efficiency of food system firms (NA0198-40174)
2024-05-26 - 2024-06-16