Technical Efficiency of Rice Farmers in Northern Ghana

Examining the level of farm-specific technical efficiency of farmers growing irrigated and non-irrigated rice in Northern Ghana, this study fitted cross-sectional data into a transcendental logarithmic (translog) production frontier. The study concludes that rice farmers are technically inefficient. There is no significant difference in mean technical efficiencies for non-irrigators (53%) and irrigators (51%). The main determinants of technical efficiency in the study area are education, extension contact, age and family size. Providing farmers with both formal and informal education will be a useful investment and a good mechanism for improving efficiency in rice farming. There is also need for training more qualified extension agents and motivating them to deliver.

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