The role of development interventions in enhancing technical efficiency of sunflower producers
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
Abstract
A key policy concern in African agriculture is low productivity even when new technologies are generated,
disseminated and adopted among farmers. This study used a cross-sectional dataset from a sample of 202 sunflower
farmers drawn from northern Uganda to determine technical efficiency and assess the influence of farmer
management capabilities, development intervention and socio-economic factors on technical efficiency. Results
reveal that technical inefficiency among sunflower farmers account for 81% of farm-level output. Further, farmer
management capabilities (p<0.01), participation in development interventions (p<0.01) and reliance on certified
seeds (p<0.01) significantly reduce farmer inefficiency and thus, improve technical efficiency. The study
highlights that focusing on farmer management capabilities to improve farm efficiency is more cost-saving for
realizing economic gains in sunflower production rather than introducing new technologies. We recommend a
policy focus on using approaches such as farmer field schools that ensures farmer advisory services at all critical
stages of crop growth.
Description
Keywords
Policy analysis, Efficiency, Production techniques
Citation
Zozimo, T. M., Kawube, G., & Kalule, S. W. (2023). The role of development interventions in enhancing technical efficiency of sunflower producers. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 14, 100707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100707