Efeitos do capital humano na eficiência técnica e na produtividade total dos fatores da fruticultura nos polos de irrigação cearense

Abstract

The expansion of fruit production in Ceará is seen as an important strategy to encourage the economic development of the state. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the effects of human capital on the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and on the technical efficiency of the fruit producing municipalities located in the irrigation pole of Ceará in the period of 2011 and 2020. For this, it was estimated a stochastic production frontier and then the Malmquist index was calculated, which captures the decomposition of total factor productivity into two components. The results showed that technological variations determine the productivity of the municipalities studied, that is, technological losses and productivity losses were verified. Thus, even with an increase in the variation in technical efficiency, TFP did not rise, since the reduction in technological variation was more pronounced than the increase in variation in technical efficiency. Among the variables that represent human capital, the qualified labor variable did not influence the level of technical efficiency, while the experience variable was statistically significant and, therefore, is important in explaining the levels of technical efficiency in the fruit sector.