Technology adoption intensity and technical efficiency of maize farmers in the Techiman municipality of Ghana
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
This paper analyses the determinants of the intensity of adoption of improved maize technology, technical efficiency and
constraints farmers faced in the Techiman Municipality of Ghana. To achieve the objectives, cross-sectional data were
collected from 407 maize farmers. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric
models such as the Poisson model and the stochastic frontier model. The study found a positive and significant
influence of extension contact, formal training, land ownership, hired labour, farm size and mobile phone ownership
on the intensity of adoption of improved technology. The stochastic frontier model estimates also found maize farmers
to be on, average, 70% technically efficient with increasing returns to scale of 1.26. The intensity of adoption, age,
land ownership, livestock ownership and perception of soil fertility by the farmers with household size were found to
statistically contribute to the technical efficiency of farmers. The study concludes that intensity of adoption of
improved maize technology package elements increases productivity, and, therefore, recommends that subsidy
packages and credit should be made available to farmers through government and other financial institutions to
increase adoption intensity. This study addresses the gap in the use of improved and multiple maize technology in Ghana
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Kendall coefficient, Poisson model, technology adoption, technical efficiency