Stochastic frontier modeling of maize production in Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana

Abstract

Maize is a major staple crop in Ghana which needs to be produced optimally towards food security and commercialization. In relation to this the study adopts the stochastic frontier model to analyze technical efficiency of maize farms in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana using a cross sectional data of 232 farms. The findings demonstrate that the input variables scaled per hectare: seed, herbicide, labor and cost of intermediate input influence maize output positively at a decreasing returns to scale. The study further finds that maize producers realize 83% of the frontier output averagely and there is the possibility to increase maize output by 17% at the given technology and input levels in the short run through the adoption of the best farm practices. The study concludes that producer specific factors impede the full potential of the farmers and the inefficiency effects can be mitigated by focusing on policies that enhances the use of best farm practices.