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Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Maize Production Using Stochastic Frontier Approach: The Case of Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Received: 11 July 2022     Accepted: 17 August 2022     Published: 5 September 2022
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Abstract

Maize is one of the most important cereal crops in Ethiopia, ranking first in total cereals production (30%). The crop is mainly produced by smallholder farmers. The crop current national yield (4.01t/ha) is far below the world average. Producers’ Technical Efficiency (TE) is one of the major factors for its low level of yield. The study sought to examine TE level of smallholder maize production and to explore socioeconomic factors explaining the variation in TE among smallholder maize producers in Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. A Translog stochastic production function model was used to analyze TE while Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Quintile Regression (QR) estimation techniques were employed to identify TE determinant factors. The study used a data collected from 239 maize producing households’ selected randomly from seven major maize growing districts of the study region. The study results showed presence of maize production inefficiency, which was accountable for 66.5% of variability between observed and frontier output. The estimated TE of smallholder maize producers in the study area ranges from 20% to 94% with a mean TE of 83%. The study also indicated that number of cultivated maize plots, total cultivated land size, improved variety adoption, contact with extension agents and cultivated plot’s soil fertility status as factors which have positive and significant TE effect. It has also identified household size, involvement in formal education and age of household head as factors having significant negative TE effect. The study underlines the possibility to improve the average TE of smallholder maize production in the study area by 17% (4.8qt/ha increase in productivity) through better use of the available resources, given the current state of technology.

Published in International Journal of Agricultural Economics (Volume 7, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11
Page(s) 204-213
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Technical Efficiency, Yield Gap, Stochastic Frontier Model, Translog Production Function, Quantile Regression, Smallholder Farmers

References
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[2] Aigner, D. J., A. K. Lovell and P. Schmidt, 1977, Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models, Journal of Econometrics 6, 21-37.
[3] Battese, G. E. and Corra, G. S., 1977. Estimation of a production frontier model: with application to the pastoral zone of eastern Australia. Aust. J. Agric. Econ., 21: 169-179.
[4] Beyan Ahmed, Jema Haji and Endrias Geta. 2013. Analysis of farm households' technical efficiency in production of smallholder farmers: the case of Girawa woreda, Ethiopia. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 13 (12): 16151621.
[5] CSA, 2009/10 to 2018/19. Agricultural Sample Survey 2009/10 to 2018/19). Volume I. Report on Area and Production of Major Crops. Private Peasant Holdings Mehere Season.
[6] Coelli, T. J. 1996. Recent development in frontier modeling and efficiency measurement. Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 39: 219-245.
[7] Farrell M. J. 1957. Measurement of Productive Efficiency. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A (General). Vol. 120, No. 3 (1957), pp. 253-290 (38 pages). https://doi.org/10.2307/2343100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2343100
[8] Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Growth and Transformation Plan II (GTP II) (2015/16-2019/20) Volume I: Main Text National Planning Commission May, 2016 Addis Ababa.
[9] Getachew Magnar and Bamlaku Alamirew. 2014. Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Small Holder Maize Growing Farmers of Horo Guduru Wollega Zone, Ethiopia: A Stochastic Frontier Approach. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal Sci. Technol. Arts Res. J., July-Sep 2014, 3 (3): 204-212 Journal Homepage: http://www.starjournal.org/
[10] Jondrow J, Lovel CA, Materov I, Schmidt P 1982. On the estimation of technical inefficiency in stochastic frontier production function model. J. Econ. 19: 233-238.
[11] Kaleb K and Workneh N. 2016. Analysis of levels and determinants of technical efficiency of wheat producing farmers in Ethiopia, African Journal of Agricultural Research. Vol. 11 (36), pp. 3391-3403, 8 September, 2016.
[12] Kassie, B., van Ittersum, M., Hengsdijk, H., Asseng, S., Wolf, J., & Rötter, R. P. (2014). Climate-induced yield variability and yield gaps of maize (Zea mays L.) in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Field Crops Research, 160, 41.
[13] Moges, D. 2016. Analysis of technical efficiency of small holder wheat-growing farmers of Jamma district, Ethiopia Dessale Agriculture & Food Security (2019) 8: 1.
[14] Sisay D., Jema H., Degye G., and Abdi-K. Technical, allocative, and economic efficiency among smallholder maize farmers in Southwestern Ethiopia: Parametric approach. Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics. Vol. 7 (8), pp. 283-292, August, 2015 DOI: 10.5897/JDAE2015.0652 Article Number: 2EDA2F754352 ISSN 2006-9774.
[15] Silva J V, Reidsma P, Laborte A G, van Ittersum M K. 2017. Explaining rice yields and yield gaps in Central Luzon, Philippines: An application of stochastic frontier analysis and crop modelling. European Journal of Agronomy, 82, 223–241.
[16] Solomon, B. 2014. Technical Efficiency of Major crops in Ethiopia: Stochastic Frontier Model. http://www.duo.uio.no/.Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universiteteti Oslo.
[17] Third Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 26-27 June 2014. Malabo declaration on accelerated agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods do assembly/au/2(xxiii).
[18] Wondimu T. and Hassen B. 2014. Determinants of Technical Efficiency in Maize Production: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Dhidhessa District of Illuababora Zone, Ethiopia, Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, ISSN 2222-1700 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2855 (Online), Vol. 5, No. 15 2014.
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    Minilik Tsega, Tesfaye Haregewoin, Bamlak Alamirew. (2022). Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Maize Production Using Stochastic Frontier Approach: The Case of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. International Journal of Agricultural Economics, 7(5), 204-213. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11

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    ACS Style

    Minilik Tsega; Tesfaye Haregewoin; Bamlak Alamirew. Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Maize Production Using Stochastic Frontier Approach: The Case of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Int. J. Agric. Econ. 2022, 7(5), 204-213. doi: 10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11

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    AMA Style

    Minilik Tsega, Tesfaye Haregewoin, Bamlak Alamirew. Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Maize Production Using Stochastic Frontier Approach: The Case of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Int J Agric Econ. 2022;7(5):204-213. doi: 10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11,
      author = {Minilik Tsega and Tesfaye Haregewoin and Bamlak Alamirew},
      title = {Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Maize Production Using Stochastic Frontier Approach: The Case of Amhara Region, Ethiopia},
      journal = {International Journal of Agricultural Economics},
      volume = {7},
      number = {5},
      pages = {204-213},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijae.20220705.11},
      abstract = {Maize is one of the most important cereal crops in Ethiopia, ranking first in total cereals production (30%). The crop is mainly produced by smallholder farmers. The crop current national yield (4.01t/ha) is far below the world average. Producers’ Technical Efficiency (TE) is one of the major factors for its low level of yield. The study sought to examine TE level of smallholder maize production and to explore socioeconomic factors explaining the variation in TE among smallholder maize producers in Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. A Translog stochastic production function model was used to analyze TE while Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Quintile Regression (QR) estimation techniques were employed to identify TE determinant factors. The study used a data collected from 239 maize producing households’ selected randomly from seven major maize growing districts of the study region. The study results showed presence of maize production inefficiency, which was accountable for 66.5% of variability between observed and frontier output. The estimated TE of smallholder maize producers in the study area ranges from 20% to 94% with a mean TE of 83%. The study also indicated that number of cultivated maize plots, total cultivated land size, improved variety adoption, contact with extension agents and cultivated plot’s soil fertility status as factors which have positive and significant TE effect. It has also identified household size, involvement in formal education and age of household head as factors having significant negative TE effect. The study underlines the possibility to improve the average TE of smallholder maize production in the study area by 17% (4.8qt/ha increase in productivity) through better use of the available resources, given the current state of technology.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Maize Production Using Stochastic Frontier Approach: The Case of Amhara Region, Ethiopia
    AU  - Minilik Tsega
    AU  - Tesfaye Haregewoin
    AU  - Bamlak Alamirew
    Y1  - 2022/09/05
    PY  - 2022
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11
    T2  - International Journal of Agricultural Economics
    JF  - International Journal of Agricultural Economics
    JO  - International Journal of Agricultural Economics
    SP  - 204
    EP  - 213
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-3843
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20220705.11
    AB  - Maize is one of the most important cereal crops in Ethiopia, ranking first in total cereals production (30%). The crop is mainly produced by smallholder farmers. The crop current national yield (4.01t/ha) is far below the world average. Producers’ Technical Efficiency (TE) is one of the major factors for its low level of yield. The study sought to examine TE level of smallholder maize production and to explore socioeconomic factors explaining the variation in TE among smallholder maize producers in Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. A Translog stochastic production function model was used to analyze TE while Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Quintile Regression (QR) estimation techniques were employed to identify TE determinant factors. The study used a data collected from 239 maize producing households’ selected randomly from seven major maize growing districts of the study region. The study results showed presence of maize production inefficiency, which was accountable for 66.5% of variability between observed and frontier output. The estimated TE of smallholder maize producers in the study area ranges from 20% to 94% with a mean TE of 83%. The study also indicated that number of cultivated maize plots, total cultivated land size, improved variety adoption, contact with extension agents and cultivated plot’s soil fertility status as factors which have positive and significant TE effect. It has also identified household size, involvement in formal education and age of household head as factors having significant negative TE effect. The study underlines the possibility to improve the average TE of smallholder maize production in the study area by 17% (4.8qt/ha increase in productivity) through better use of the available resources, given the current state of technology.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Ethiopian Agricultural Research Council Secretariat, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Ethiopian Agricultural Research Council Secretariat, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Collage of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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