Abstract
AbstractSmallholder farmers who grow the staple maize crop rely mainly on rain-fed agricultural production, and yields are estimated to have decreased by over 50% largely due to climate change. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies, as adaptive strategies, are thus increasingly being promoted to overcome problems of declining agricultural productivity and reduced technical efficiency. This study analyzed profitability and profit efficiency in maize (Zea mays) production as a result of CSA technology adoption using cost-benefit analysis and stochastic profit frontier model. The study used data from a cross-sectional household survey of 386 households drawn from 4 districts in MashonalandEastprovince located in the northeastern part ofZimbabwe. Results from the cost-benefit analysis reveal that maize performs best under CSA technologies. The profit inefficiency model shows that extension contact, number of local traders, and adoption of CSA had significant negative coefficients indicating that as these variables increase, profit efficiency among maize-growing farmers increases. This implies that profit inefficiency in maize production can be reduced significantly with improvement in extension contact, access to farm gate/local markets, and adoption of CSA. The findings call for development practitioners to incorporate market linkages that bring buyers closer to the farmers, support for extension to be able to have frequent contacts with farmers, and promotion of CSA adoption.
Highlights
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa and is the world’s most widely grown cereal crop as well as essential food source for millions of the world’s poor (Abate et al 2017)
Profitability across climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technology bundles was estimated using cost-benefit analysis, and the stochastic profit frontier model was estimated to see if CSA adoption has a significant effect on technical inefficiency
Maize production is negatively affected by climate change, and as such, adoption of CSA technologies is key to increasing yields
Summary
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa and is the world’s most widely grown cereal crop as well as essential food source for millions of the world’s poor (Abate et al 2017). In sub-Saharan Africa, maize is a staple food for an estimated 50% of the population and an important source of carbohydrate, protein, iron, vitamins (A, B, E, and K), and minerals (magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus) and is grown on an estimated 100 million hectares throughout the developing world (Nsikak-Abasi and Okon 2013; Siyuan et al 2018). Researchers and development practitioners have reported reductions in agricultural yield due to extreme weather (UNCCS 2019). These unpredictable seasons have become a major constraint in smallholder crop and livestock production farming systems, and as such, the use of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies becomes essential as a solution. Climate-smart agriculture technologies are innovations that sustainably increase agricultural productivity, help households to adapt and be resilient to climate change, and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (Steward et al 2018)
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