Evaluation of the Impact of Partnership Program on the Technical and Economic Efficiency of Irrigation Water Use for Moroccan Citrus Farms

A public-private partnership (PPP) in irrigated area is a mode of collaboration and governance that allows the Moroccan Government to entrust the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of irrigation equipment to a private enterprise. In this research, we want to estimate technical efficiency of farms, the technical and economic efficiency of irrigation water use, analyzing the determinants of each of these aspects. The sampling was undertaken using the propensity score matching. The estimation of the farms’ technical efficiency was carried out using FRONTIER 4.1 software and a stochastic parametric method with the functional form Translog. The transition from an output orientation to an input orientation in order to estimate the technical and economic efficiency scores of the irrigation water was carried out through the use of the Reinhard derivative. The determinants of these aspects were analyzed with the Gnu Regression, Econometrics and Time series Library (Gretl) software using the Tobit model. A survey was carried out among 130 citrus growers (65 pairs). The average of the technical efficiency increased from 62% in 2009 to 72% in 2016. This improvement is explained by the presence of highly qualified employed who assure the management and the technical supervision of the workers on the farms. Conversely, the analysis shows that the PPP irrigation program has had no impact on the farms’ technical efficiency scores. On the basis of the results, it is appropriate to focus on several aspects in order to improve the different types of efficiencies. Indeed, the Moroccan Government must ensure the aspect of the technical supervision of farmers in the two perimeters, which will better help to control the technical conduct of citrus farms.