Technical efficiency and its determinants at different levels of intensification among maize-based farming households in Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria
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Date
2012
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management
Abstract
Examining the level of farm-specific technical efficiency of maize-based farming households in
Southern-Guinea Savanna (SGS) of Nigeria, this study fitted cross-sectional data into a CobbDouglass production frontier. The study examined technical efficiency and its determinants
among maize-based farming households at different levels of cropping intensification in the SGS
of Nigeria. Data used for this study were obtained using structured questionnaire administered
to 252 randomly selected maize-based farming households. Descriptive analysis, crop intensity
index and the stochastic frontier production function methodology was used to achieve the
research objectives. The study concludes that maize-based households can be grouped into high
and low intensity farming households and are technically inefficient. The high intensity farming
households are more technically efficient (78.2.4%) than those of low intensity households
(30.1%). The main determinants of technical efficiency among the low intensity households are
farm size, farming experience and access to credit. On the other hand, farm size and access to
credits are the most important factors among the high intensity farming households. Providing
farming households with both formal and informal credits will be a useful investment and a good
mechanism for improving efficiency in maize-based farming. Policies that would make more
lands available for the high intensity farming households must also be encouraged.