Colombian agriculture in pixels new contributions:

Empirically, it has been found that small plots produce more per hectare than large ones. Bevis & Barrett (2020) explain this inverse relationship between plot size and productivity per unit of land through the perimeter-area ratio, which reflects the possible existence of a higher productivity in the periphery of the plots or edge effect. Based on these findings, this research builds a database using satellite images to test the existence of the edge effect and examine its possible impact on the size-productivity relationship. Thus, using a pixel-plot panel and a yield proxy, the edge effect was found to be significant in a sample of cotton plots located in Córdoba (Colombia) for 2013. Furthermore, with data aggregated by plot, the size-productivity relationship (biophysical) was estimated to be direct, and lost significance if the average between the sum of distances from each pixel to the plot edge was included. A direct size-productivity relationship was also found if the above regression was performed at the pixel level. Thus, before proposing a land redistribution policy, this research recommends the establishment of protocols that facilitate the integration of different sources of information to achieve a better understanding of the factors that affect the productivity of small farmers.