| In Ghana,maize is considered a staple crop and a significant consumer diet component.Maize accounts for over 50% of the total output of cereals(maize,rice sorghum,and millet)produced in the country,making it the utmost staple crop.It is cultivated in almost all agroecological zones and regions in Ghana,meaning it’s a widely grown cereal.Maize contributes meaningfully to consumer diets,like much Ghanaian use it as food.Besides,maize is food for human consumption others use it as feed for their poultry,and some factories also use it as a raw material to produce stuff like cookies,biscuits,and many more.Smallholder farmers dominate maize production in Ghana.About 70% of Ghanaian framers are smallholder farmers cultivating around two(2)hectares(ha)or smaller land sizes.Most of these smallholder farmers are rural inhabitants.These smallholder farmers typically rely on a rain-fed farming system with little or no improved production technologies like fertilizer,pesticides,herbicides,irrigation,etc.Due to the rain-fed system used by these farmers,their productivity is always low than expected.The use of improved production technologies among smallholder farmers in Ghana is less.The use of improved production technologies like fertilizer,herbicides,pesticides,tractors,zero tillage,and irrigation is typically associated with commercial farmers,with very few smallholder farmers participating in the use of these technologies.With all the economic importance of maize,there still exists a gap between domestic supply and demand.The Ministry of Food and Agriculture estimated that the shortfall between domestic production and domestic consumption would reach 267,000 metric tons by 2015 if there are no improved production technologies and new methods used in the farming systems.To bridge the gap between domestic supply and demand of maize needs improved production technologies adoption.This study employs the multi-stage sampling technique to collect cross-sectional data from600 smallholder maize farmers across 48 farming communities in Ghana(i.e.,144 respondents from Northern and Brong-Ahafo and 156 from Eastern and Central regions).The analytical techniques involve descriptive and inferential statistics.This study used the Multinomial logit model to analyze the factors influencing farmer’s adoption of improved production technologies.The factor analysis model was used to analyze the constraints of adopting improved production technologies by smallholder maize farmers.The Stochastic Frontier Production function analyzes the influential factors affecting smallholder maize farmer’s technical and profit efficiency.The multinomial logit analysis showed that household size positively influenced the adoption of improved seed,fertilizer,herbicides,and pesticides.The variable gender had a positive impact on the choice of pesticides.Age inversely affects the adoption of fertilizer and pesticides.Education had a positive effect on the adoption of improved seeds.The results revealed a positive relationship was between experience and adoption of a combination of all technologies.Land size positively influenced the adoption of fertilizer,herbicides,and combination of all technologies.The number of plots negatively affected improved seed,fertilizer,and combination of all technologies.Farmer’s membership with farmer groups/associations positively impacted the adoption of improved seed,fertilizer,herbicides,and pesticides.The previous year’s maize price recorded a positive influence on the adoption of pesticides and a combination of all technologies.Government subsidies positively impacted the choice and use of improved seeds,fertilizers,and pesticides.Distance between farmer’s house and farm had a positive influence on adopting improved seed and fertilizer but harmed adoption of a combination of all technologies.The factor analysis model revealed that the significant constraints to improved production technology adoption among smallholder maize farmers in Ghana include the following;Public,private,institutional,and labor constraints(i.e.inadequate policies to empower smallholder maize farmers,lack of access to supporting institutional facilities,lack of access to and awareness about NGOs program on improved production technologies and limited government responsiveness to agricultural technologies);land,neighborhood norms,and religious beliefs constraints(i.e.high cost of farmland,poor access to and control of land,Inherited system of land ownership,Neighborhood norms,customs,culture and traditional belief against adoption,Religious belief of farming household,lack of collateral security required to secured loan to support smallholder maize farmers);poor access to improved production technology adoption information and credit sourcing constraints(i.e.involvement of smallholder maize farmers in some off-farm jobs,eg trading,artisans,etc,Small scale production of some of the smallholder maize farming household,Poor access to improved production technology adoption information and Insufficient Knowledge of credit source to support farm work);high cost of inputs and illiteracy constraints(i.e.high cost of improved production technology,traditional beliefs about the use of improved production technologies,illiteracy of smallholder maize farmers,non-availability of storage facilities,difficulty in accessing improved production technologies and far distance of household maize farmer to their homesteads);and poor agricultural extension services constraints(i.e.poor agricultural extension service delivery and lack of /or inadequate extension programs directed to meet improved production technology adoption).The stochastic frontier analysis showed that labor,seed,and agrochemical were highly significant at 1% level,and the land was at a 10% level of probability for maize production.Labor,seed,agrochemical,and land had a positive relationship with the productivity of maize.The computed mean technical efficiency estimate was 59.1%.The results revealed that smallholder maize farmers in the Brong-Ahafo region were more technically efficient,with a mean technical efficiency score of 71.4%.The region that recorded the least mean technical efficiency was the Eastern region.The Northern and Central regions also recorded a mean technical efficiency score of 60.3% and 68.1%.The technical inefficiency model showed that government subsidies,education,access to extension service,access to credit,experience,membership of farmer group/association had a significant inverse relationship with technical inefficiency.Other variables that had a meaningful inverse relationship with technical inefficiency are pesticides use,fertilizer use,herbicides use,and improved seed.On the other hand,the number of plots(land fragmentation)significantly correlated with technical inefficiency.The stochastic frontier profit function showed that the price of labor and price of seed were highly significant at 1%,rent on farmland and price of agrochemicals significant at 10%,and price of fixed assets significant at 5% level of probability.The computed average profit efficiency of the respondents was 65.2%.The Brong-Ahafo region recorded the highest profit efficiency score of 71.9%.The Eastern region had the least profit efficient score of 48.3%.The Northern and Central regions had profit efficiency scores of 59.3% and 64.1%,respectively.The profit inefficiency model revealed that government subsidies,household size,education,access to extension,access to credit,farmer group/association,fertilizer,herbicides,and pesticides had a significant inverse relationship with profit inefficiency.However,the number of plots(land fragmentation)had a significant positive correlation with profit inefficiency.The study revealed that smallholder maize farmers are inefficient both technically and profitwise;therefore,stakeholders should improve these farmers’ efficiency.The study,therefore,recommends proactive regulatory land-use acts that will make smallholder maize farmers participate in a more secured land ownership system that should be put in place for land tenants to benefit.Farmers will invest and use sustainable improved production technologies whose benefit comes in subsequent years.Also,policymakers should channel their efforts to improve smallholder maize farmers’ technical efficiency by encouraging them to adopt/use more improved production technologies.Encouraging smallholder maize farmers to join farmers’ groups/associations available in their areas can be one solution to improved production technologies adoption and subsequently boost maize production.Extension officers should be motivated and resourced enough to increase contact between officers and smallholder maize far.Government focus should provide functional credit facilities to help smallholder maize farmers improve production technologies adoption,especially the inputbased ones.Government focus should be on operational credit facilities to help smallholder maize farmers improve production technologies adoption,especially the input-based ones.Also,the government should make the economic environment conducive for private players to act because the government cannot satisfy all people’s needs.Despite the proliferation of research in this area,few studies have jointly analyzed efficiency and improved production technologies adoption.Several researchers had undertaken efficiency and enhanced production technologies independent of each other,but this study has integrated the two areas.This study also determines efficiency(both profit and technical)by using improved production technologies as part of the explanatory variable(i.e.,determinants of efficiency).Also,a few studies have explored the profit efficiency of maize farmers,and most studies concentrate on farmers’ technical efficiency.This study is also unique because most studies on adopting agricultural technologies and technical efficiency focus on only one agroecological zone.On the contrary,this study covers a broader range of all the agroecological zones in Ghana. |
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