A Comprehensive Farm Efficiency Analysis of Apple Growers in Newley Merged District South Waziristan

Abstract

In the apple-producing land of South Waziristan’s three tehsils, Wana, Bermal, and Tiarza, this research paper is designed to analyze farmers' efficiencies, e.g., production, allocative and technical dimensions. Through a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) framework, the study evaluates the performance trajectories of 304 apple growers. A multistage sampling technique was used for the farmer’s interview. To the researcher’s knowledge, there is no detailed efficiency analysis of South Waziristan’s apple growers in existing literature, so there is a need to investigate the factors affecting efficiencies in the targeted area. The researcher is therefore encouraged to conduct a study of the farm efficiency of apple growers in South Waziristan. Apple growers' efficiencies were categorized as technical, allocative, and economic efficiency using the DEA approach. Results of the study show that there were tremendous inefficiencies of apple growers, which need to be reduced. This study sheds light on optimal resource allocation, productivity dynamics, and efficiency frontiers within apple cultivation in South Waziristan. The research offers an understanding of agricultural practices, resource utilization patterns, and efficiency benchmarks. The empirical insights derived from this comprehensive analysis facilitate informed decision-making among farmers and provide policymakers, agricultural stakeholders, and development practitioners with actionable recommendations to enhance agricultural productivity, sustainability, and socio-economic well-being in the region. Through empirical evidence and contextual relevance, this paper contributes significantly to the evolving discourse on agricultural efficiency analysis and underscores the imperative of tailored interventions for optimizing apple cultivation practices in South Waziristan.