Measuring the Efficiency of Collective Floodplain Aquacultureof Bangladesh using Data Envelopment Analysis
Yamin Bayazid*, ○Chieko Umetsu **, Hironori Hamasaki*, Takayuki Miyanishi*

1. Introduction
Aquaculture in floodplain water-bodies has emerged as an important food production sector for food andnutrition security in Bangladesh. With the increase in seasonal aquaculture, collectively organized floodplain
aquaculture (FPA) was formed in the floodplains that are composed of privately-owned lands of numerous
landowners (Belton at al., 2014). An early example of an FPA management system was found in theDaudkandi sub-district where a group of landowners formed an FPA in 1984. Since 1996 an NGO named
SHISUK began promoting FPAs in the Daudkandi and other parts of the country by collaborating withdifferent communities adopting this management system. Freshly motivated by the success ofNGO-collaborated FPAs (NFPAs), landowners of the neighbouring floodplains established independentlyformed FPAs (IFPAs) without any external support.
The objective of the study is to compare the FPAs formed under a common management systemin terms of their management efficiency using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) and to identity
the various aspects of efficiency by measuring pure technical (PTE), scale (SE), mix (ME) and overall efficiency (SBM).
2. Method and Data
DEA is a mathematical model that measures the efficiency of target decision making units (DMUs) byestablishing a frontier surface that contains the best DMUs, and envelops the rest (Cooper et al., 2007). We
use CCR, BCC (indicating PTE) models and slack-based measure (SBM) for overall efficiency:

Input slacks for inefficient FPAs were identified. We also check the returns to scale (RTS) characteristics interms of increasing (IRS), decreasing (DRS) and constant (CRS) returns to scale.
FPAs are classified into four groups for comparison. Fifteen FPAs were selected from five sub-districts in
Bangladesh where NFPAs are operational. Four Inputs were used; Utilized area of floodplain (UAF) (ha),stocked fingerlings (BDT), used fish feed (BDT), and wages and salaries (BDT). Output is Fish sales (BDT).
All FPAs were found to follow the strategy of commoditized bulk production by culturing an almost identicalmix of fish species (BDT: Bangladeshi Taka (BDT 80.50 = US$ 1).
*Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University**Division of Natural Resource Economics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa

Oiwakecho, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
E-mail: umetsu.chieko.5e@kyoto-u.ac.jp

Pankowri
1

UB

0.9

Charipara

0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3

Proshanto

Asia

0.2
0.1
0

Shishir
Chargram

Khirai
LKS

BCC-I
SE-I
ME-I
SBM-I
BCC-I Sample Mean
SE-I Sample Mean
ME-I Sample Mean
SBM-I Sample Mean

Figure 1:
Decomposition of SBM
scores for the inefficient
FPAs into BCC (PTE),
SE and ME scores

3. Results
While eleven FPAs are purely technically efficient (BCC), only six of the FPAs are overall (SBM) efficient.
Figure 1 shows the decomposition of SBM scores for the inefficient FPAs into BCC (PTE), SE and ME
scores. In some inefficient FPAs, input mix and inappropriate operation scale are contributing to their overall
inefficiency (SBM-I).
Efficiency score of NFPAs is, on average, slightly better than that of IFPAs, while 40% of NFPAs andIFPAs are overall efficient. Management of aquaculture operations might be the key to cause differences intheir performances, although their aquaculture methods were similar.
Lease management—introduced as a solution to inefficient self-management—has not necessarily
ensured overall efficiency as only two FLAs turned out as SBM efficient.
4. Conclusion
Most of the older FPAs, despite their higher fish yield than the relatively newer FPAs, showed overall
inefficiency with sub-optimal TE, SE and ME. This resulted from the intensive use of inputs in these FPAs.
Given the protein linkage and the mitigating role of aquaculture in the wake of the sharp decline in capture
fishery (Belton et al., 2014), along with FPAs being one of the fastest growing aquaculture niches, it may betime for the government to consider efficiency-related aspects—in addition to the usual growth-relatedemphasis—in its policy formulation.
5. References
Belton, B., van Asseldonk, I. J. M., & Thilsted, S. H. (2014). Faltering fisheries and ascendant aquaculture:
Implications for food and nutrition security in Bangladesh. Food Policy, 44, 77-87.
Cooper, W. W., & Seiford, L. M. Tone., K. (2007). Data Envelopment Analysis A Comprehensive Text withModels, Applications, References and DEA-Solver Software. Springer.
Toufique, K.A., Gregory, R. (2008). Common waters and private lands: distributional impacts of floodplain
aquaculture in Bangladesh. Food Policy 33(6). 587-594.