scholarly journals Factors That Influence Technical Efficiency of Sorghum Production: A Case of Small Holder Sorghum Producers in Lower Eastern Kenya

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evaline Chepng’etich ◽  
Sospeter Onchoke Nyamwaro ◽  
Eric Kiprotich Bett ◽  
Kwena Kizito
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Agronomic Practices ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Sorghum Production ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Small Holder ◽  
Arid And Semiarid

Majority of the rural households in Kenya depend on agriculture as a source of food and livelihood. Agricultural productivity has been declining due to many factors resulting in increased food insecurity in the country. Consequently, there is a renewed interest in promoting drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum which thrives in the arid and semiarid lands of the developing world. However, performance of sorghum production among the smallholder farmers has still remained low. This study was thus carried out to identify factors that influence technical efficiency of sorghum production among smallholder farmers in Machakos and Makindu districts of the lower eastern Kenya. Collected data on farm and farmer characteristics were analysed by use of descriptive statistics and Tobit model. Result highlights show that technical efficiency was influenced positively by formal education level of the household, experience in sorghum farming, membership in farmers associations, use of hired labour, production advice, and use of manure. Surprisingly household size, meant to enhance labour, had a negative influence. To increase technical efficiency, efforts should focus on improving information flows on agronomic practices. Farmers should also be encouraged to form and actively participate in various farmers associations, which enhance learning and pooling of labour resources, hence improving technical efficiency.

scholarly journals Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Tomato Production in Semi-Urban Farms in Cameroon: A Stochastic Frontier Production Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Paul Jr. Tabe-Ojong ◽  
Ernest L. Molua
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Frontier Analysis

Agriculture is the mainstay of Cameroon’s economy as it serves the purposes of food, livelihood and employment. Nevertheless, the country’s agriculture is plagued by low productivity and inefficiency in production. One of the main reasons for low productivity is the inability of farmers to fully exploit available technologies and production techniques. An important research question that comes to mind is, what are the major factors that hinder the technical efficiency of smallholder farmers? This study thus aimed to determine the level of technical efficiency in the production of tomato in smallholder farms, relying on primary data collected using a structured survey instrument administered to 80 tomato farmers in the Buea municipality of Cameroon. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and a stochastic frontier analysis method in the Cobb-Douglas production function. The STATA.14 software was used to obtain both stochastic frontier estimates and the determinants of technical efficiency. The results indicate that farmers are not fully technically efficient with a mean technical efficiency score of 0.68 with one farmer operating on the frontier. The study also revealed that most of the farmers irrespective of the size of the holdings have shown technical inefficiency problems. The older farmers were observed with the best measures of technical efficiency. Education, age and the adoption and practice of agronomic techniques had a positive and significant influence on technical efficiency while the nearest distance to the extension agent had a rather negative influence on technical efficiency. The input-output relationship showed that the area of tomato cultivation and the quantity of improved seed used were positive and significantly related to output at the 5% level of probability. As a result, it is recommended that farmers should increase their farm size, use of improved seeds and the adoption and practice of novel techniques in production. More emphasis should be placed on extension agents as they have a significant role to play in terms of improving and augmenting farmers’ education and information base through on farm demonstrations and result oriented workshops as all this will ensure increased production and productivity thereby increasing technical efficiency and achieving food self-sufficiency.

scholarly journals Exploring constraints and opportunities for sorghum production in dry regions of Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nyasha Sakadzo ◽  
Silas Chamunorwa ◽  
Andrew Tapiwa Kugedera
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Knowledge Resources ◽  
Beer Brewing ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Sorghum Production ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Small Holder

The objective of the study was to explore the constraints and opportunities for small-holder sorghum farmers in dry regions.Two hundred and fifty farmers were sampled by using the simple random and snowball sampling to provide the information that answered the research questions. Questionnaire and interviews were used as the research instruments. Out of 250 participants, 80% were males and 20% were females showing that more males were selected for the research. Data was coded and processed using excel. Descriptive statistics were used to describe results. Of all the participants, 4% were in the age range of 25-30 years, 10% in the age range of 31-35 years, 14% in the age range of 36-40 years, 16% in the age range of 41-45 years and 56% in the age range of 46 years and above. Out of all the participants, 20% attained primary education while 68% had attained secondary education. Only 12% had tertiary education. Results indicated availability of resources (60%) such as certified seed, fertilizers, herbicides and draught power as the major constraint in the production of sorghum. Lack  of technical knowhow (20%) of sorghum production, poor farming methods (9.6%) such as mono-cropping, Striga weed (12%), outbreak of fall armyworm (14.4%) and marketing of produce (8%) were also amongst the major constraints indicated by most participants. 66% of the 250 participants showed  that they produce sorghum due to its drought tolerant nature. Beer brewing was just slightly above half (52%) whilst making mealie meal was slightly below half (48%). Lack of knowledge, resources and poor markets hindered sorghum production in dry regions. Farmers were using retained seeds which are populated and affected by diseases and this contributed to low yields. Opportunities such as reducing poverty, food insecurity and income generation drives some farmers to venture into sorghum production.

scholarly journals Off-farm participation and technical efficiency among smallholder farmers in the Northern Region, Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gideon Danso-Abbeam ◽  
Brightina A.A. Abban ◽  
Samuel A. Donkoh
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Farm Income

The study aimed at investigating the effects of off-farm participation on technical efficiency of maize production in the Tolon district of the Northern Region, Ghana. The Logit regression model was used to analyze the determinants of off-farm participation while the stochastic frontier production function was used to model the determinants of maize output and technical efficiency. The empirical results from the logistic regression model indicate that age of farmer, educational attainment, farming experience, farm size, and previous farm income are significant drivers of farmers’ participation in off-farm activities. Farmers’ average technical efficiency level was 90.7% suggesting a 9.3% potential loss to inefficiency. Moreover, participation in off-farm activities had a negative influence on farmers’ technical efficiency level. The study, therefore, recommends that farm-level policy should be directed towards making the agricultural sector attractive by promoting investment and agricultural employment opportunities in the rural areas so as to ensure full commitment to farming activities. JEL code: Q22

scholarly journals Disaggregating sorghum yield reductions under warming scenarios exposes narrow genetic diversity in US breeding programs

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (35) ◽  
pp. 9296-9301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Tack ◽  
Jane Lingenfelser ◽  
S. V. Krishna Jagadish
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Temperature Threshold ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Future Warming ◽  
Sorghum Production ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Historical Adaptation ◽  
Arid And Semiarid ◽  
Semiarid Conditions

Historical adaptation of sorghum production to arid and semiarid conditions has provided promise regarding its sustained productivity under future warming scenarios. Using Kansas field-trial sorghum data collected from 1985 to 2014 and spanning 408 hybrid cultivars, we show that sorghum productivity under increasing warming scenarios breaks down. Through extensive regression modeling, we identify a temperature threshold of 33 °C, beyond which yields start to decline. We show that this decline is robust across both field-trial and on-farm data. Moderate and higher warming scenarios of 2 °C and 4 °C resulted in roughly 17% and 44% yield reductions, respectively. The average reduction across warming scenarios from 1 to 5 °C is 10% per degree Celsius. Breeding efforts over the last few decades have developed high-yielding cultivars with considerable variability in heat resilience, but even the most tolerant cultivars did not offer much resilience to warming temperatures. This outcome points to two concerns regarding adaption to global warming, the first being that adaptation will not be as simple as producers’ switching among currently available cultivars and the second being that there is currently narrow genetic diversity for heat resilience in US breeding programs. Using observed flowering dates and disaggregating heat-stress impacts, both pre- and postflowering stages were identified to be equally important for overall yields. These findings suggest the adaptation potential for sorghum under climate change would be greatly facilitated by introducing wider genetic diversity for heat resilience into ongoing breeding programs, and that there should be additional efforts to improve resilience during the preflowering phase.

scholarly journals Exploring Smallholder Farmers’ Preferences for Climate-Smart Seed Innovations: Empirical Evidence from Southern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2786
Author(s):  
Shimelis Araya Geda ◽  
Rainer Kühl
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Preference Heterogeneity ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Significant Preference ◽  
Experiment Data ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
The Face ◽  
Mnl Model ◽  
Participatory Research Methods

Rapid plant breeding is essential to overcome low productivity problems in the face of climatic challenges. Despite considerable efforts to improve breeding practices in Ethiopia, increasing varietal release does not necessarily imply that farmers have access to innovative varietal choices. Prior research did not adequately address whether varietal attributes are compatible with farmers’ preferences in harsh environmental conditions. With an agricultural policy mainly aiming to achieve productivity maximization, existing breeding programs prioritize varietal development based on yield superiority. Against this background, we estimated a multinomial logit (MNL) model based on choice-experiment data from 167 bean growers in southern Ethiopia to explore whether farmers’ attribute preferences significantly diverge from those of breeders’ priorities. Four important bean attributes identified through participatory research methods were used. The results demonstrate that farmers have a higher propensity toward drought-tolerant capability than any of the attributes considered. The model estimates further show the existence of significant preference heterogeneity across farmers. These findings provide important insight to design breeding profiles compatible with specific producer segments. We suggest demand-driven breeding innovations and dissemination strategies in order to accelerate the adoption of climate-smart and higher-yielding bean innovations that contribute to achieve the national and global sustainability goals in Ethiopia.

Does the Contract Type Matter? Impact of Marketing and Production Contracts on Cashew Farmers’ Farm Performance in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Dubbert ◽  
Awudu Abdulai
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Spot Markets ◽  
Switching Regression ◽  
Farm Productivity ◽  
Production Contracts ◽  
Marketing Contracts ◽  
On Farm ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Substantial Heterogeneity

Abstract Many studies show that participation in contract farming has positive impacts on farm productivity and incomes. Most of the literature, however, does not take into account that contracts vary in their specifications, making empirical evidence scarce on the diverse impacts of different types of contracts. In this study, we investigate the driving forces of participation in marketing and production contracts, relative to spot markets. We also study the extent to which different contract types add additional benefits to smallholder farmers, using recent survey data of 389 cashew farmers in Ghana. To account for selection bias arising from observed and unobserved factors, we apply a multinomial endogenous switching regression method and implement a counterfactual analysis. The empirical results demonstrate that farmers who participate in production contracts obtain significantly higher cashew yields, cashew net revenues, and are more food secure compared to spot market farmers. We also find substantial heterogeneity in the impact of marketing and production contracts across scale of operation. Small sized farms that participate in production contracts tend to benefit the most. Marketing contracts, however, do not appear to benefit cashew farmers.

scholarly journals Agricultural Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
Markose Chekol Zewdie ◽  
Michele Moretti ◽  
Daregot Berihun Tenessa ◽  
Zemen Ayalew Ayele ◽  
Jan Nyssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Approach ◽  
Small Scale Irrigation

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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