Stochastic Meta Frontier Analysis of Smallholder Rice Farmers’ Technical Efficiency

Korotoumou Mariko,Eunice Matafwali,Moussa Macalou,Li Xiangmei,John-Philippe Essiagnon Alavo,Ekram Abdalgadir Eltom,Osewe Maurice Omondi

doi:10.5539/jas.v11n8p31

Abstract

The aim of this study is to compare the technical efficiency of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Conventional Rice Production System (CRPS) farmers in Mali. Using cross-sectional data for 208 randomly selected rice farmers, the Stochastic Meta Frontier model is applied. The results indicate that the mean technical efficiency is 0.96 and 0.79 for SRI and CRPS respectively. This implies that SRI farmers were more technically efficiency than their counterpart. Similarly, the mean technology gap ratio was 0.98 and 0.91 for SRI and CRPS farmers, respectively. We also find that rice paddy production (SRI) was positively influenced by labor and negatively by organic manure while rice paddy production (CRPS) was positively linked with inorganic fertilizer and land. Further investigation reveals that family labor and flooding level increased the technical inefficiency for SRI adopters whereas education had a negative impact. For the CRSP farmers, the current factors were unable to account for technical inefficiency except age of farm household head. Our study finds strong cause to encourage SRI adoption as it could be the highly searched for solution for farmers to increase their yields and eventually enhance their food security status.

Highlights

Cereals are the staple food in Mali
The labor positively affects the production of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) rice while organic manure and its square are negatively linked to SRI rice production
SRI rice production will increase by 0.4% as a result of a one percent increase in labor

Summary

Introduction

Rice remains the most consumed representing about 30% of total cereal consumption (Coulibaly, Savadogo, & Diakité, 2017). Rice production is continuously increasing at a rate of 4% and contributes about 5% to Gross Domestic Product GDP which is 8.3% of the agricultural flow (Coulibaly et al, 2017). The Malian government considers rice as one of the strategic crops in the achievement of food security. The national food security programs rely on the production and the availability of rice (Balie, Aparisi, Gourichon, Diakite, & Diallo, 2013). There is currently a huge deficit between local production and consumption leading to increased rice importation (Gajigo, Denning, & Dawe, 2010). The rapid population growth, dietary diversification, rising income and urbanization are some of the reasons for the increasing rice consumption (Coulibaly et al, 2017)

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