| dc.creator |
Tchale, Hardwick |
|
| dc.creator |
Kumwenda, Ian |
|
| dc.creator |
Wobst, Peter |
|
| dc.creator |
Mduma, John K. |
|
| dc.date |
2016-07-19T13:01:45Z |
|
| dc.date |
2016-07-19T13:01:45Z |
|
| dc.date |
2005 |
|
| dc.date.accessioned |
2018-03-27T09:05:22Z |
|
| dc.date.available |
2018-03-27T09:05:22Z |
|
| dc.identifier |
Tchale, H., Kumwenda, I., Wobst, P. and Mduma, J., 2005. Technical efficiency of smallholder farmers in Malawi in the post-reform era: Which policies matter most?. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, 44(1). |
|
| dc.identifier |
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/3270 |
|
| dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/3270 |
|
| dc.description |
The development of Malawian smallholder agriculture has since the 1980s gone through
many challenges and there are fears that this may have been a precursor to
unsustainable agricultural intensification and worsening poverty. In this paper, we
conduct an empirical assessment of smallholder technical efficiency and its determinants
using farm household and plot data. We use a non-parametric frontier analysis to
analyze the technical efficiency of farmers in the maize-based mixed farming systems. In
addition, we use a regression-based estimation to assess the socio-economic and policy
related factors that may explain the estimated levels of technical efficiency. The results
indicate low to medium levels of technical efficiency, depending on crop variety and soil
fertility management option used. Higher levels of relative technical efficiency are
obtained when farmers use integrated soil fertility options compared to the use of
inorganic fertilizer only. Of the policy variables included in the analysis, agricultural
input and output market, credit and extension access strongly influence smallholder
technical efficiency. Government needs to resuscitate these public policy issues in order
to effectively address sustainability of Malawian agriculture and its impact on poverty. |
|
| dc.language |
en |
|
| dc.subject |
Smallholder agriculture |
|
| dc.subject |
Technical efficiency |
|
| dc.subject |
Soil fertility management |
|
| dc.subject |
Malawi |
|
| dc.title |
Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Farmers in Malawi in the Post-Reform Era: Which Policies Matter Most? |
|
| dc.type |
Journal Article, Peer Reviewed |
|