Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi

Recognising potential selection bias due to non-randomness of the data, this study used propensity score matching on data from a nationally representative fifth Integrated Household Survey (IHS5) to investigate the effect of agriculture extension services on the technical efficiency of maize farmers...

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Autor principal: Jolex, Aubrey
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: African Association of Agricultural Economists 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141134
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author Jolex, Aubrey
author_browse Jolex, Aubrey
author_facet Jolex, Aubrey
author_sort Jolex, Aubrey
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Recognising potential selection bias due to non-randomness of the data, this study used propensity score matching on data from a nationally representative fifth Integrated Household Survey (IHS5) to investigate the effect of agriculture extension services on the technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi. Technical efficiency levels were estimated using the stochastic frontier model. The results show that most farmers are technically efficient, with an average technical efficiency of 63%. This indicates that there is still a possibility to increase maize output by 37% using the same level of inputs. The results of the propensity score matching reveal that having access to agricultural extension services significantly increases maize farmers’ technical efficiency, by about 4%. This evidence presents an opportunity not only for farmers, but also for the relevant policymakers, to realise the potential of using agricultural extension services to enhance the production capacity of maize farmers.
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spelling CGSpace1411342025-10-26T13:02:11Z Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi Jolex, Aubrey agricultural extension systems inputs household surveys farmers maize propensity score matching statistical methods Recognising potential selection bias due to non-randomness of the data, this study used propensity score matching on data from a nationally representative fifth Integrated Household Survey (IHS5) to investigate the effect of agriculture extension services on the technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi. Technical efficiency levels were estimated using the stochastic frontier model. The results show that most farmers are technically efficient, with an average technical efficiency of 63%. This indicates that there is still a possibility to increase maize output by 37% using the same level of inputs. The results of the propensity score matching reveal that having access to agricultural extension services significantly increases maize farmers’ technical efficiency, by about 4%. This evidence presents an opportunity not only for farmers, but also for the relevant policymakers, to realise the potential of using agricultural extension services to enhance the production capacity of maize farmers. 2022-03-31 2024-04-12T13:37:20Z 2024-04-12T13:37:20Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141134 en Open Access African Association of Agricultural Economists Jolex, Aubrey. 2022. Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi. African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 17(1): 92–105. https://doi.org/10.53936/afjare.2022.17(1).6
spellingShingle agricultural extension systems
inputs
household surveys
farmers
maize
propensity score matching
statistical methods
Jolex, Aubrey
Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi
title Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi
title_full Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi
title_fullStr Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi
title_full_unstemmed Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi
title_short Influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Malawi
title_sort influence of agricultural extension services on technical efficiency of maize farmers in malawi
topic agricultural extension systems
inputs
household surveys
farmers
maize
propensity score matching
statistical methods
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141134
work_keys_str_mv AT jolexaubrey influenceofagriculturalextensionservicesontechnicalefficiencyofmaizefarmersinmalawi