Effect of Farm Size on Efficiency, Ploughing Technology and Food Security among Maize Farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

Farm size has been identified as a significant determinant of resource use efficiency, household food security and choice of improved agricultural methods. However, empirical literature is replete with controversies concerning the exact nature of this relationship. This study examined the relationship between farm size, efficiency, ploughing technology and household food security among maize farmers in three districts of the Northern Region of Ghana by addressing some of the methodological weaknesses in existing studies with respect to the use of cross-sectional dataset and skewed preferences for the two-stage estimation procedure. Employing a three-year balanced panel dataset on 787 households, the study the examined the relationship between farm size and efficiency. With the same sample, the study also investigated the relationship between farm size and choice of ploughing technology using the multinomial probit regression model, and the association between form size and household food security using a probit regression model. Empirical results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between farm size and efficiency. It was also established that farm size had a significant positive influence on choice of ploughing technology whereas there was no statistically significant relationship between farm size and household food security. Findings from this study have implications for designing land consolidation initiatives and public policies on improving household food security through the adoption of fertiliser and fostering participation in social network as well as livestock production.