Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, cilt.27, sa.12, ss.8065-8081, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
This study aims to evaluate the technical efficiency of wheat production in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Türkiye, identify the key determinants affecting efficiency, and analyze the sustainability levels of the farming enterprises. A survey was conducted with 104 wheat producers, gathering data on input use, production levels, and socioeconomic characteristics. Technical and scale efficiencies were estimated using data envelopment analysis (DEA) under input-oriented Constant Returns to Scale (CRS) and Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) assumptions. According to the VRS model, the average technical efficiency was found to be 0.84, indicating that producers could reduce input use by 16% without sacrificing output. Under the CRS assumption, the average efficiency was 0.72, suggesting a potential 28% reduction in input use. Labor, machinery, and fuel were identified as the most dominant inputs negatively affecting efficiency, as their overutilization leads to inefficiencies and increased production costs. A bootstrapped-truncated regression analysis was employed to investigate the potential causes of inefficiency. The results revealed that education and the wheat sales price significantly influence the technical efficiency of production. The average sustainability index of the enterprises was found to be moderate at 0.53. While the producers exhibited strong performance in terms of economic sustainability, their environmental sustainability was notably low. This highlights the need for policymakers to provide support aimed at enhancing awareness and practices related to input use and natural resource management.