Resource-productivity, allocative efficiency and determinants of technical efficiency of rainfed rice farmers: a guide for food security policy in Nigeria.

摘要

This paper analyses the resource productivity, technical efficiency (TE) and allocative efficiency of rainfed rice farmers (n=96) in Nigeria. Production function analysis shows that 'herbicides' has the highest input elasticity, then seeds, followed by fertilizers and land while labour has the least contribution to output. None of the respondents optimally allocated the inputs. However, a greater number of the respondents were found to have underutilized land, seeds, fertilizers and herbicides while a greater number of the farmers overutilized labour. But in both cases, it was revealed that the use of more labour decreased rice production faster than any of the selected variables. The mean TE index was found to be 0.75. This suggests that 0.25 of rice yield is forgone due to inefficiency. The significant gamma ( gamma ) value of 0.873 establishes the fact that a high level of technical inefficiency exists among the sampled farmers. Extension contact and access to credit are found to be significant determinants of TE among the farmers. Hence, agricultural policy makers in Nigeria should focus on how farmers could follow appropriate farm practices in the course of technology adoption to prevent underutilization of farm inputs, via the intensification of extension activities in the country and giving more priority to credit accessibility for farmers. Pursuing these will raise the productivity and efficiency of rice production in the country in the long run.