scholarly journals TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION BY MAIZE FARMERS IN THREE AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF GHANA

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (02) ◽  
pp. 39-50
Author(s):  
Victor OWUSU
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abebayehu G Geffersa ◽  
Frank W Agbola ◽  
Amir Mahmood

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.


Author(s):  
Rufus Owoeye

Purpose. The purpose of the article – to assess the technical efficiency of climate adaptation practices on cassava production in two different agro-ecological zones within the study area to know where the climate adaptation practices are more productive. To achieve the main objective of the study, the specific objectives were stated as follows: (a) describe relevant socio-economic characteristics of cassava farmers in southwestern region of Nigeria; (b) assess the influence of the used climate change adaptation strategies on technical efficiency of cassava production in both agro-ecological zones. Methodology / approach. The study was carried out in Ekiti, Osun and Oyo State in the southwestern region of Nigeria, where two different agro-ecological zones (AEZ) (rain forest and guinea savannah) were chosen for the study. The study used multi-stage sampling procedures, with well-structured questionnaire, to select 150 cassava producers from each AEZ, making a total of 300 cassava producers for the study. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production function. Results. From the study, it was revealed that cassava farmers in the study area were relatively young, fairly educated, mostly married, well experienced, adequately aware of climate change, but operated on a small scale. The result on the influence of climate adaptation strategies on technical efficiency of cassava production in both rain forest and savannah AEZs within the study area revealed that technical inefficiency existed in cassava production as confirmed by the gamma values of 0.687 and 0.639 in rain forest and savannah respectively Originality / scientific novelty. The study has really revealed diverse climate adaptation options available to cassava farmers in order to sustain its production as a means of employment to the unemployed, food consumption and contribution to the national gross domestic product. Studies comparing climate adaptation practices on the technical efficiency of cassava production in different agro-ecological zones in southwestern part of Nigeria are relatively scarce considering the mixture of socio-economic and climate variables to assess technical efficiency of cassava production. Practical value / implications. The study has succeeded in identifying key factors that will enables policy makers to formulate a sustained policy framework that would encourage the use of multiple climate adaptation practices by the cassava farmers. To ensure sustainability of cassava production, it is therefore recommended that farmers should use different adaptation strategies to climate change e.g crop diversification, multiple planting dates, land fragmentation, use of improved varieties and off farm income activities that would bring increase in their scale of operation as most of the cassava farmers in the study areas cultivated less than 2 hectares of land for cassava production.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Ngeno ◽  
Chepchumba Chumo

Abstract We employ stochastic meta-frontier and region-specific frontiers based on the “true” random effect framework to examine technical efficiencies, technology gaps and meta-frontier technical efficiency of Kenyan smallholder dairy farmers in different agro-ecological zones. The empirical analysis is based on comprehensive three-wave household level panel data from across three agro-ecological zones in Kenya. Results show variations in efficiency measures and that smallholder milk production is characterized by increasing returns scale across all agro-ecological zones. The results indicate that the milk output of smallholder dairy farmers from all the agro-ecological zones lags behind their potential with the technology available and the prevailing enviromnetal conditions in their agro-ecological zones. We also, find that there exists a significant technology gap in dairy production across the agro-ecological zones in Kenya. These findings generate important policy implication for achieving increased technical efficiency and reduce the technology gap in smallholder dairy production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6910
Author(s):  
Adil Dilawar ◽  
Baozhang Chen ◽  
Arfan Arshad ◽  
Lifeng Guo ◽  
Muhammad Irfan Ehsan ◽  
...  

Here, we provided a comprehensive analysis of long-term drought and climate extreme patterns in the agro ecological zones (AEZs) of Pakistan during 1980–2019. Drought trends were investigated using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) at various timescales (SPEI-1, SPEI-3, SPEI-6, and SPEI-12). The results showed that droughts (seasonal and annual) were more persistent and severe in the southern, southwestern, southeastern, and central parts of the region. Drought exacerbated with slopes of −0.02, −0.07, −0.08, −0.01, and −0.02 per year. Drought prevailed in all AEZs in the spring season. The majority of AEZs in Pakistan’s southern, middle, and southwestern regions had experienced substantial warming. The mean annual temperature minimum (Tmin) increased faster than the mean annual temperature maximum (Tmax) in all zones. Precipitation decreased in the southern, northern, central, and southwestern parts of the region. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a robust increase in temperature extremes with a variance of 76% and a decrease in precipitation extremes with a variance of 91% in the region. Temperature and precipitation extremes indices had a strong Pearson correlation with drought events. Higher temperatures resulted in extreme drought (dry conditions), while higher precipitation levels resulted in wetting conditions (no drought) in different AEZs. In most AEZs, drought occurrences were more responsive to precipitation. The current findings are helpful for climate mitigation strategies and specific zonal efforts are needed to alleviate the environmental and societal impacts of drought.


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