Variation in total factor productivity of corn in 19 main producing areas under the constraint of carbon emissions

Abstract

To realize the sustainable development of the corn industry, the key lies in improving the total factor productivity (TFP) of corn under the constraint of carbon emissions. Based on the panel data of 19 main corn producing areas in China, this paper creates a corn TFP measurement model, applies the model to measure the corn TFPs in each main producing area from 2008 to 2018, and analyzes the features and causes of the variation in corn TFP in China with constraint of carbon emissions. The results show that: After 2015, the corn TFP in China was on the rise with constraint of carbon emissions, and the corn production was moving towards low-carbon mode, but exhibited huge regional difference; The policies on corn structure adjustment in the Sickle Band areas have effectively promoted the low-carbon production of corn in these areas, and improved the corn TFP; The growth of corn TFP in China is mainly bottlenecked by the slow technical progress. Finally, several policy suggestions were put forward to promote the low-carbon production and TFP of corn and other crops.