IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v10y2020i3p78-d332578.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Agricultural Management Practices and Factors Affecting Technical Efficiency in Zimbabwe Maize Farming

Author

Listed:
  • Yonas T. Bahta

    (Department of Agricultural Economics; University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa)

  • Henry Jordaan

    (Department of Agricultural Economics; University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa)

  • Gunda Sabastain

    (Department of Agricultural Economics; University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa)

Abstract

Integrating best management practices and improving the technical efficiency of smallholder maize farmers is critical in raising overall agricultural output. However, there is not much information, besides marginalization and high rehabilitation and maintenance costs, which adequately explains why productivity of smallholder irrigation farmers drop at very high rates. Therefore, this study measured technical efficiency, identified factors affecting technical efficiency, and identified best management practices adopted by smallholder maize irrigation farmers at Tokwane-Ngundu (Zimbabwe). The Data Envelopment Analysis, Double Bootstrap Approach in a Principal Component Regression was used. Primary data were gathered using a questionnaire. Empirical results revealed that the mean technical efficiency of the respondents was 77%, which indicated a potential for them to increase their efficiency by 30%. The factors that increased technical efficiency included human capital, extension contacts and compliance with best management practices. The policy implication of this study is the need for robust group incentive schemes to promote farmer-to-farmer skills transfer to boost the technical efficiency of smallholder maize irrigation farmers in Zimbabwe.

Suggested Citation

  • Yonas T. Bahta & Henry Jordaan & Gunda Sabastain, 2020. "Agricultural Management Practices and Factors Affecting Technical Efficiency in Zimbabwe Maize Farming," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:10:y:2020:i:3:p:78-:d:332578
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/3/78/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/3/78/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leopold Simar & Paul Wilson, 2000. "A general methodology for bootstrapping in non-parametric frontier models," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(6), pages 779-802.
    2. Coelli, Tim J. & Battese, George E., 1996. "Identification Of Factors Which Influence The Technical Inefficiency Of Indian Farmers," Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 40(2), pages 1-26, August.
    3. Ndlovu, Patrick V. & Mazvimavi, Kizito & An, Henry & Murendo, Conrad, 2014. "Productivity and efficiency analysis of maize under conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 21-31.
    4. Mkhabela, Thulasizwe S., 2005. "Technical efficiency in a vegetable based mixed-cropping sector in Tugela Ferry, Msinga District, KwaZulu-Natal," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 44(2), pages 1-18, June.
    5. Kelvin Balcombe & Iain Fraser & Laure Latruffe & Mizanur Rahman & Laurence Smith, 2008. "An application of the DEA double bootstrap to examine sources of efficiency in Bangladesh rice farming," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(15), pages 1919-1925.
    6. Basnayake, B.M.J.K. & Gunaratne, L.H.P., 2002. "Estimation of Technical Efficiency and It's Determinants in the Tea Small Holding Sector in the Mid Country Wet Zone of Sri Lanka," Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA), vol. 4, pages 1-15.
    7. Zikhali, Precious, 2008. "Fast Track Land Reform and Agricultural Productivity in Zimbabwe," Working Papers in Economics 322, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    8. Wouterse, Fleur, 2011. "Social services, human capital, and technical efficiency of smallholders in Burkina Faso:," IFPRI discussion papers 1068, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Mushunje, Abbyssinia & Belete, Abenet & Fraser, Gavin C.G., 2003. "Technical Efficiency Of Resettlement Farmers Of Zimbabwe," 2003 Annual Conference, October 2-3, 2003, Pretoria, South Africa 19084, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA).
    10. Zikhali, Precious, 2008. "Fast Track Land Reform and Agricultural Productivity in Zimbabwe," RFF Working Paper Series dp-08-30-efd, Resources for the Future.
    11. Gert Jan Veldwisch & Alex Bolding & Philippus Wester, 2009. "Sand in the Engine: The Travails of an Irrigated Rice Scheme in Bwanje Valley, Malawi," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(2), pages 197-226.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ziqi Yin & Jianzhai Wu, 2021. "Spatial Dependence Evaluation of Agricultural Technical Efficiency—Based on the Stochastic Frontier and Spatial Econometric Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-12, March.
    2. Jianxu Liu & Changrui Dong & Shutong Liu & Sanzidur Rahman & Songsak Sriboonchitta, 2020. "Sources of Total-Factor Productivity and Efficiency Changes in China’s Agriculture," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-18, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Obi, Ajuruchukwu & Chisango, Future Fortune T., 2011. "Performance of Smallholder Agriculture Under Limited Mechanization and the Fast Track Land Reform Program in Zimbabwe," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 14(4), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Musemwa, L. & Mushunje, Abbyssinia & Muchenje, V. & Aghdasi, F. & Zhou, L., 2013. "Factors affecting efficiency of field crop production among resettled farmers in Zimbabwe," 2013 Fourth International Conference, September 22-25, 2013, Hammamet, Tunisia 161443, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    3. Xiangxiang Sun & Lawrence Loh, 2019. "Sustainability Governance in China: An Analysis of Regional Ecological Efficiency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Álvaro Ramírez Suárez, 2013. "Análisis de eficiencia económica de fincas arroceras: una aplicación de una función determinística de ingresos brutos frontera," Revista Lebret, Universidad Santo Tomás - Bucaramanga, vol. 5, pages 213-240, December.
    5. Elodie Douarin & Laure Latruffe, 2011. "Potential impact of the EU Single Area Payment on farm restructuring and efficiency in Lithuania," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 87-103.
    6. Campus, Daniela, 2017. "Gender differentials in agricultural productivity: an empirical evidence from Uganda," 2017 Sixth AIEAA Conference, June 15-16, Piacenza, Italy 261259, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA).
    7. Menale Kassie & Precious Zikhali & John Pender & Gunnar Köhlin, 2010. "The Economics of Sustainable Land Management Practices in the Ethiopian Highlands," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 605-627, September.
    8. Álvaro Ramírez Suárez, 2013. "Análisis de eficiencia económica de fincas arroceras: una aplicación de una función determinística de ingresos brutos frontera," Revista Lebret, Universidad Santo Tomás - Bucaramanga, vol. 5, pages 213-240, December.
    9. Kassie, Girma T. & Abdulai, Awudu & Greene, William H. & Shiferaw, Bekele & Abate, Tsedeke & Tarekegne, Amsal & Sutcliffe, Chloe, 2017. "Modeling Preference and Willingness to Pay for Drought Tolerance (DT) in Maize in Rural Zimbabwe," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 465-477.
    10. Raynold Runganga & Winnie Njoroge & Syden Mishi, 2022. "Restoration of Land Acquired for Resettlement and the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme in Zimbabwe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, July.
    11. Nicholas Apergis & Michael L. Polemis, 2016. "Competition and efficiency in the MENA banking region: a non-structural DEA approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(54), pages 5276-5291, November.
    12. Abebayehu Girma Geffersa & Frank Wogbe Agbola & Amir Mahmood, 2022. "Modelling technical efficiency and technology gap in smallholder maize sector in Ethiopia: accounting for farm heterogeneity," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(5), pages 506-521, January.
    13. Nelson Mango & Clifton Makate & Benjamin Hanyani-Mlambo & Shephard Siziba & Mark Lundy & Caroline Elliott, 2015. "A stochastic frontier analysis of technical efficiency in smallholder maize production in Zimbabwe: The post-fast-track land reform outlook," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1117189-111, December.
    14. Bangwayo-Skeete, Prosper F. & Bezabih, Mintewab & Zikhali, Precious, 2010. "Are Zimbabwe’s Fast Track Land Reform Farms more Technically Efficient than Communal Farms?," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 49(4), pages 1-21.
    15. Million Sileshi & Reuben Kadigi & Khamaldin Mutabazi & Stefan Sieber, 2019. "Impact of soil and water conservation practices on household vulnerability to food insecurity in eastern Ethiopia: endogenous switching regression and propensity score matching approach," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 797-815, August.
    16. Maria Giovanna BRANDANO & Claudio DETOTTO & Marco VANNINI, 2019. "Comparative Efficiency Of Agricultural Cooperatives And Conventional Firms In A Sample Of Quasi‐Twin Companies," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 90(1), pages 53-76, March.
    17. Harshana PVS, 2019. "Analysis of Satisfaction of Small Cucumber Contract Famers in Predominantly Agriculture areas in Sri Lanka," Annals of Social Sciences & Management studies, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 2(4), pages 92-99, January.
    18. Chisango, Future Fortune T. & Obi, Ajuruchukwu, 2010. "Efficiency Effects Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Mechanization and Fast Track Land Reform Programme: A Stochastic Frontier Approach," 2010 AAAE Third Conference/AEASA 48th Conference, September 19-23, 2010, Cape Town, South Africa 97066, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    19. Zikhali, Precious, 2008. "Tenure Security and Investments: Micro-evidence from Zimbabwe’s Fast Track Land Reform Programme," Working Papers in Economics 321, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    20. Mignouna, D.B. & Mutabazi, K.D.S. & Senkondo, E.M. & Manyong, Victor M., 2010. "Adoption of a New Maize and Production Efficiency in Western Kenya," 2010 AAAE Third Conference/AEASA 48th Conference, September 19-23, 2010, Cape Town, South Africa 96160, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:10:y:2020:i:3:p:78-:d:332578. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.