Browsing by Author "Baha, Michael Raphael"

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    Farm size and production efficiency: evidence from maize production in Babati district
    (Sokine University of Agriculture, 2012) Baha, Michael Raphael
    A decrease in maize yield for producers in Babati District provoked the present study on farm size and production efficiency. The overall image that exists in the literature, offers three kinds of relationships between these variables an inverse, a reverse and both inverse and reverse. Using a cross sectional data obtained through a multistage sampling technique the relationship was estimated. Further the production efficiency and its determinants among maize crop producers in the district were examined. A purposive sampling technique was used to select four wards under maize production with a simple random sampling used to select six villages out of the four wards. Stratified sampling was to select 122 farmers who cultivated maize in the study area. Stochastic frontier model determined the relationship proposed by this study. The mean technical efficiency was 62.3% suggesting that 37.7% of the inefficiency in maize production in study area results from combination of both technical and allocative inefficiency. Besides, study findings revealed farm size as an important factor in increasing maize production efficiency in Babati district. This study concludes that, there is room for increasing efficiency by increasing farm size. The Lack of formal education, number of plots owned by a farmer, frequency of contacts with extension officers, use of insect sides, and the use of hand hoes or otherwise was also found to have a negative sign and therefore increase maize production efficiency. In association with the solutions to problems facing farmers, this study recommends intensified training to farmers to increase efficiency and creation of environment for increasing farm plot size using the current level of inputs to enhance agricultural transformation which will include an integrated soil fertility alternative.