Abstract
This paper examines the level and determinants of technical efficiency of smallholder fish production in seven of the ten regions of Ghana. We employ the single-stage stochastic frontier approach in this study. Regional location, feed, fingerlings and labour are found to influence technical efficiency positively and significantly. However, formal education, marital status, membership in fish farmer groups and contact with extension services negatively influence inefficiency. Finally, estimates from the study indicate that the average smallholder fish producer in Ghana is 73.88% technically efficient. We recommend a bottom-up participatory approach to policy formulation which involves grassroots participation as well as the inclusion of aquaculture management in the curriculum of schools. Key words: Smallholder fish production, technical efficiency, stochastic frontier.
Highlights
The contribution of fish farming to national development, both from poverty alleviation and national economic development points of view poses some interesting concerns
This paper examines the level and determinants of technical efficiency of smallholder fish production in seven of the ten regions of Ghana
The results indicate that the least efficient farm needs to improve its technical efficiency by some 23.9% to attain the mean efficiency score and the average farmer needs to adopt the best technology of the frontier farmers to increase its efficiency score by at least 26%
Summary
The contribution of fish farming to national development, both from poverty alleviation and national economic development points of view poses some interesting concerns. These concerns may be attributable to the fact that fish is a significant component of the diet for many people around the world, providing essential nutrition for over one billion people, and fish production provides livelihood for over 200 million people in developing countries (The WorldFish Centre, 2007). Of all these sources most of Ghana’s fish supply comes from marine sources (Asmah, 2008), which contributed about 80% of the total quantum of domestic production between 1993 and 2000
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