Food security, Ghana, Impact assessment, Technology adoption, Technical efficiency

10.15414/raae.2016.19.02.39-50

Using a farm household data from 3 agroecological zones of Ghana, this paper investigates the causal relationship between the adoption of improved maize variety and technical efficiency or productivity. The empirical results show a positive relationship between the adoption of improved maize variety and technical efficiency or productivity of farmers in the Semi-deciduous forest and Guinea Savannah zones. Generally, adopters of improved maize variety are about 6% to 8% more efficient than non-adopters. The estimated percentage increase in productivity due to the adoption of improved maize variety is about 53%. In the Semi-deciduous forest agroecological zone, adopters of improved maize variety are about 25% to 36% more efficient than non-adopters whilst in the Guinea Savannah agroecological zone, adopters of improved maize variety are about 15% to 26% more efficient than non-adopters. The estimated percentage increase in productivity due to adoption of the improved maize variety is about 8% in the Semi-deciduous forest zone and about 11% in the Guinea Savannah zone. The impact of adoption on technical efficiency in the Transitional zone is however negative. Adopters of improved maize variety are 7% to 8% less efficient than non-adopters and the estimated percentage decrease in productivity due to adoption of the improved maize variety is about 15%. Food safety net policies should pay attention to increased development and dissemination of improved crop varieties suitable to different agroecological zones.

Victor OWUSU (2016) Technical Efficiency Of Technology Adoption By Maize Farmers In Three Agro-ecological Zones Of Ghana. Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics. XIX (Number 2, 2016): 39-50. doi: 10.15414/raae.2016.19.02.39-50

https://roaae.org/1336-9261/doi/abs/10.15414/raae.2016.19.02.39-50

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