Potentials to reduce deforestation by enhancing the technical efficiency of crop production in forest margin areas

In the past decade, to improve crop production and productivity, Ethiopia has embarked on an ambitious irrigation farming expansion program and has introduced new large- and small-scale irrigation initiatives. However, in Ethiopia, poverty remains a challenge, and crop productivity per unit area of land is very low. Literature on the technical efficiency (TE) of large-scale and small-scale irrigation user farmers as compared to the non-user farmers in Ethiopia is also limited. Investigating smallholder farmers’ TE level and its principal determinants is very important to increase crop production and productivity and to improve smallholder farmers’ livelihood and food security. Using 1026 household-level cross-section data, this study adopts a technology flexible stochastic frontier approach to examine agricultural TE of large-scale irrigation users, small-scale irrigation users and non-user farmers in Ethiopia. The results indicate that, due to poor extension services and old-style agronomic practices, the mean TE of farmers is very low (44.33%), implying that there is a wider room for increasing crop production in the study areas through increasing the TE of smallholder farmers without additional investment in novel agricultural technologies. Results also show that large-scale irrigation user farmers (21.05%) are less technically efficient than small-scale irrigation user farmers (60.29%). However, improving irrigation infrastructure shifts the frontier up and has a positive impact on smallholder farmers’ output.

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Can Enhancing Efficiency Promote the Economic Viability of Smallholder Farmers? A Case of Sierra Leone

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4235

Author(s):

Silvia Saravia-Matus ◽

T. S. Amjath-Babu ◽

Sreejith Aravindakshan ◽

Stefan Sieber ◽

Jimmy A. Saravia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sierra Leone ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Economic Viability ◽

Necessary Condition ◽

Smallholder Farming

By developing meta-frontier efficiency and structural equation models, the paper examines whether farm economic viability is positively associated with technical efficiency in a highly food insecure context, such as that of rural Sierra Leone. The findings show that technical efficiency can be a sufficient but not necessary condition in determining economic viability of smallholder farming. It is possible to breach reproductive thresholds at the cost of reduced technical efficiency, when the crop diversification strategy of smallholders includes market-oriented high-value crops. This calls for a dual policy approach that addresses farmers’ internal needs for self-consumption (increasing efficiency of food crop production) while encouraging market-oriented cash crop production (diversification assisted through the reduction of associated transaction costs and the establishment of accessible commercialization channels of export related crops and/or high-value crops). The work also calls out for a move-up or move-out strategy for small holders to create viable farming systems in developing world.

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Effect of Extension Training on Technical Efficiency of Maize Farmers in Ogbomoso Agricultural Zone of Oyo State, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Review ◽

10.52403/ijrr.20210928 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 210-217

Author(s):

Akintonde J. Oluwole ◽

Akintaro O. Segun ◽

Rahman S. Bayonle

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Crop Production ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Interview Schedule ◽

Extension Services ◽

Maize Production ◽

The Mean ◽

Multistage Sampling ◽

Selection Of

The efficiency of any entrepreneur is a function of personal production skill, knowledge and experience acquired over time and exposure via training in the field of his or her enterprise focus. It is on this premise that this study examined the effect of extension training on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Ogbomoso Agricultural Zone, Oyo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was adopted for the selection of One-hundred and Eighty-One (181) maize farmers, while structured and validated interview schedule was used to obtain necessary information from the sampled respondents. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The mean age of sampled farmers was 48 years and majority (80.1%) of the farmers was male. The farmers with extension contact have access to different extension trainings on maize production in the study area. The average household sizes were 7 and 8, with the average farm sizes of 1.423ha and 1.417ha for both contact and non-contact maize farmers respectively. Those farmers with extension contact were found to be technically efficient than non-contact farmers. Significant relationship existed between some selected socio-economic characteristics of both sampled maize farmers and their maize output. The study therefore suggests the need to create more awareness on the roles of extension services on crop production among farmers and the authorities concern with extension service delivery should improve on the frequency of extension contact in order to encourage farmers' participation in extension activities in the study area and rural communities in Nigeria at large. Keywords: Extension training, technical efficiency, contact and non-contact maize farmers.

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Technical efficiency in crop production across agro-ecological zones in Ethiopia: A meta-analysis of frontier studies

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.1177/0030727019830416 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 5-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Abebayehu G Geffersa ◽

Frank W Agbola ◽

Amir Mahmood

Keyword(s):

Technical Efficiency ◽

Crop Production ◽

Functional Form ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Model Output ◽

Ecological Zones ◽

Meta Regression ◽

Meta Regression Analysis ◽

Frontier Studies ◽

Agro Ecological Zones

This article investigates whether study-specific attributes account for systematic variations in reported technical efficiency (TE) scores in crop production. We conducted a meta-regression analysis using mean TE (MTE) estimates from primary frontier studies of Ethiopian crop sub-sector over the period 1991–2015. The estimated MTE of 66% indicates a capacity to increase efficiency in crop production. Results from a fractional outcome regression model revealed that reported efficiency estimates vary substantially across studies and agro-ecologies. We found that reported efficiency estimates are influenced by the frontier methodology used, the functional form assumed, assumptions about technology representation, the estimated dimension of the model, output aggregation and the publication outlet. We show that reported efficiency estimates are sensitive to variations in agro-ecologies. We argue for the need to consider differences in agro-ecologies when estimating TE because failure to account for this may bias efficiency estimates.

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