ANALYSIS OF TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AMONG SMALL-SCALE RAIN-FED RICE (Oryza sativa) FARMERS IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

The possible way to improve production and productivity with a given input mix and available technology is to improve efficiency of resource use. For this purpose examining the technical efficiency of the production process is very crucial. Thus, the aim of the study was to analyze the technical efficiency of smallscale rain-fed rice production in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Stochastic frontier approach was employed on a data which was collected from 362 sampled rice farmers through multi-stage sampling techniques. The maximum likelihood of the stochastic frontier model revealed that farm size, seed, inorganic fertilizer, hired labour and herbicides are found to be positively and significantly related to small-scale rice production in the study area. The average technical efficiency score predicted from the estimated Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier production function was found to be 86% implying that there is a room for rice yield increment by improving the resource use efficiency of the rice farmers. The study also revealed there is a wide gap between most technically efficient rice farmer and the least efficient farmer given their efficiency range of 21% and 97%. Thus, the study recommends that expansion of farm size under cultivation, improved access to farm inputs like improved rice seeds, inorganic fertilizer and herbicides and campaigns to disseminate rice farming experiences and improved extension services are crucial to improving the technical efficiency of small-scale rain-fed rice production in the study area.