Description

A poster presented at the 2012 Global Pulse Researchers Meeting, Kigali, Rwanda- “Transforming Grain-Legume Systems to Enhance Nutrition and Livelihoods”. Abstract: The efficiency of crop production has important implications for farm yield and productivity; however, little is known about the efficiency of bean production in Uganda. This study evaluated factors influencing technical efficiency among smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda where bean growing is common to over 80% of the population. Technical efficiency measured the ability of a farm to produce the maximum possible yield given the available production inputs and technology. To assess the technical efficiency, data was collected in 2010 on a sample of 280 farming households using a multistage sampling technique. A tobit model was used to analyze the data for determinants of technical efficiency. Results showed that technical efficiency was likely to decline by 2% when age of farmer increases by 1 year, possibly due to reluctance to take up new technologies. In addition, a one hectare increase in farm size is likely to increase technical efficiency by about 1.5%. A one dollar increase in asset values was likely to increase efficiency by about 2.4%. Similarly, having access to extension services was likely to increase efficiency by over 6%. Finally, being a member of a producer group was likely to increase the technical efficiency of members by over 14%. Based on these results, there is need for increased provision of extension service and training on proper crop management and improved farming technologies to increase bean productivity. On the other hand, there is need for a programme to effectively disseminate seed of new, improved, bean varieties to farmers all over the country to improve farm yields.