Are farmers technically efficient in growing sorghum crops?: evidence from western part of Ethiopia Gudeya Bila district

Abstract

Agriculture provides the majority of Ethiopian rural households with their principal source of income, yet it performs poorly. There is a rise in food insecurity as well as a decline in productivity as a result of this. Even if sorghum production in Ethiopia is increasing rapidly, it requires an efficient level of output to ensure high levels of productivity and profit. Hence the goal of this study was to examine the technical efficiency of sorghum production and its determinants in the Gudeya Bila area in western Ethiopia, utilizing primary data obtained through semi-structured questionnaires from 203 randomly selected households. The study utilized one-stage stochastic frontier production model to investigate the technical efficiency and its determinants. The mean technical efficiency of the homes was 45.64 percent, according to the results of the stochastic frontier of the parametric approach. These results suggest that farmers in the research area are technically inefficient in sorghum by 56.36 percent on average. Weeding frequency, farm size, and cell phone use were also key factors of technical efficiency in a one-stage stochastic frontier approach. As a result, the study reveals that by enhancing technological efficiency, it may be possible to increase production to the level of potential output. Ensure mobile information service, raise knowledge about intensive land use, subsidize chemical inputs, and expand educational possibilities in the research region are some of the numerous strategies to improve technical efficiency.