TY - JOUR AB - Purpose This systematic literature review integrates the findings of existing studies regarding technical efficiency (TE) in dairy farms. The purpose of this paper is to offer a research framework that assembles TE descriptors, a classification of previous literature that provides the basis for the synthesis and research agenda.Design/methodology/approach This paper systematically reviews 86 survey research studies using rigorous and reproducible procedures. The review is applied to published survey research.Findings The framework relates context, inputs, outputs and metrics of TE. There is no agreement among the authors on the context and determinants of TE. The main determinants of TE are geographical location, farm size, investments in veterinary care, feeding and milking practice, TE model estimation techniques, public policy, and management-related variables. This paper offers ten propositions for future research on the controversial results on the determinants of TE. The authors also explore the reasons for the discrepant results based on the Debreu-Farrell’s definition of TE, the contingency theory and the resource-based view of the firm, elucidating the literature and serving as a basis for future investigation. Implications for dairy farmers and researchers close the review.Originality/value Meta-analysis and meta-regression studies were long at the forefront of reviews in the TE of dairy farms. This paper offers a novel qualitative research synthesis with frameworks and the classification of previous literature and a research agenda, which provides a new and different perspective for analysis, by innovating over the available quantitative procedures to combine statistical results. VL - 66 IS - 3 SN - 1741-0401 DO - 10.1108/IJPPM-09-2015-0131 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-09-2015-0131 AU - Mareth Taciana AU - Thomé Antônio Márcio Tavares AU - Scavarda Luiz Felipe AU - Cyrino Oliveira Fernando Luiz PY - 2017 Y1 - 2017/01/01 TI - Technical efficiency in dairy farms: Research framework, literature classification and research agenda T2 - International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management PB - Emerald Publishing Limited SP - 380 EP - 404 Y2 - 2024/05/06 ER -