Abstract
AbstractThis article analyses the technical efficiency of maize production in Zimbabwe’s smallholder farming communities following the fast-track land reform of the year 2000 with a view of highlighting key entry points for policy. Using a randomly selected sample of 522 smallholder maize producers, a stochastic frontier production model was applied, using a linearised Cobb–Douglas production function to determine the production elasticity coefficients of inputs, technical efficiency and the determinants of efficiency. The study finds that maize output responds positively to increases in inorganic fertilisers, seed quantity, the use of labour and the area planted. The technical efficiency analysis suggests that about 90% of farmers in the sample are between 60 and 75% efficient, with an average efficiency in the sample of 65%. The significant determinants of technical efficiency were the gender of the household head, household size, frequency of extension visits, farm size and the farming region. The resu...
Highlights
Introduction and backgroundMaize production is an important component of food security and livelihoods among smallholder farming communities in Zimbabwe
About 90% of the smallholder farmers have technical efficiency scores between 0.6 and 0.75. These results suggest that maize producers in Zimbabwe’s smallholder sector are constrained by a number of factors, such as infrequent extension visits, smaller farm sizes, relatively large household sizes, and low agricultural potential in some areas
The study shows that inorganic fertiliser, seed and labour, as well as the area under maize are the major factors associated with changes in maize output
Summary
Maize production is an important component of food security and livelihoods among smallholder farming communities in Zimbabwe. Being the staple food of the overwhelming majority of people in the country, maize is the most important commodity in terms of food security. The majority of smallholder farmers grow maize primarily for subsistence purposes (Mazvimavi, Ndlovu, An, & Murendo, 2012). An estimated 70% of the population lives in small-scale farming areas (Mano, 2006). This has significant implications for food security, given the critical role of the smallholder sector in producing the staple maize crop. Crop failures and inefficiencies in smallholder maize production might have serious consequences for food security in the country
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