| dc.description |
The demand for wood product is expected to double between 2013 and 2035 due to
increasing demand driven largely by construction, furniture, population growth and paper
sectors. Therefore there is a need for private sectors including small-scale farmers to
counter balance the supply. However, the efficiency of small-scale farmers in production
of trees is still unknown. Therefore this study investigated technical efficiency of small-
scale tree growers and factors influencing production efficiency of small-scale farmers in
Mufindi district. Structured questionnaire was administered to 244 respondents from
randomly selected households. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive
statistics data envelopment analysis and Tobit Model. Results indicate that small-scale
tree growers were not fully technically efficient as the mean efficiency was 84.5% under
Variable Return to Scale and 80% under Constant Return to Scale assumptions.
Quality of seeds, farm size, extension services and marital status were major factors
significantly influencing technical efficiency of the small-scale tree growers. The policy
implication of the study is that technical efficiency of small-scale tree growers could be
increased by 15.5% under variable return to scale and 20% under constant return to scale
by improving the use of available resources also to encourage farmers to join farmer
based organizations, better management of woodlots and Availability of quality
seeds/seedling are options that would improve the efficiency of the small-scale tree
growers |
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