Spatial-temporal evolution pattern of agricultural productivity in northwestern sichuan plateau

Currently, the agricultural growth in developed countries mainly relies on the improvement of productivity, which is also the target for China. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to describe the spatial-temporal evolution pattern of agricultural productivity, to reveal changes in total factor productivity in 2000–2010, and analyze the impact of these changes in northwestern Sichuan plateau, China. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist Index, an in-depth study was conducted on agricultural productivity and changes in total factor productivity of 31 counties in northwestern Sichuan plateau. Results indicated that: (1) geographically, counties with optimal efficiency were mainly located in the north of northwestern Sichuan plateau and those with the lowest efficiency, in the south; (2) relative to pure technical efficiency, scale efficiency was the dominant factor in determining agricultural productivity; (3) the redundancy rate of input factors in 2010 was slightly lower than that in 2000, thereby indicating an improved utilization of input factors to a certain extent and a great potential for further improving such utilization; (4) during the 2000–2010 period, the agricultural total factor productivity had an average annual growth rate of 8.3%, but the growth rates in various regions differed widely; (5) technical progress was the dominant factor promoting the improvement of total factor productivity in agriculture. The disparities in spatial distribution may be due to the differences of natural conditions, former level agricultural productivity between counties. The findings are valuable for the government to make sustainable development policies for agriculture and improving agricultural development in northwestern Sichuan plateau.