Abstract:
Inefficiencies in maize production do not only have adverse effect on the output of maize but it also poses a serious threat to income generation, food security and the general welfare of the people. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the level and determinants of technical efficiency of maize farmers. The proportionate stratified and simple random technique was used to select 306 maize farmers. Descriptive statistics was used to describe farm and farmer specific characteristics and the stochastic frontier model was also used to estimate the level and determinants of technical efficiency. Findings indicate that land, labour and fertiliser influenced output positively whilst seeds and agrochemicals negatively affected output. The mean technical efficiency was found to be 67%, indicating that farmers could improve the productivity of maize by 33% without requiring extra inputs. Farmers were also operating at an increasing returns to scale as the estimated returns to scale was 1.22.
The study also indicated that farmer specific characteristics such as age, sex and off-farm work activities were significant determinants of technical efficiency. Major constraints limiting maize farming were the purchasing price of maize, access to capital, price fluctuations, availability of labour and rainfall pattern. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture through the agricultural extension agents should organise educational programmes for maize farmers on the need to improve upon their production activities through the efficient combination of inputs given that the farmers were producing below the frontier.
