Efficiency of Maize Production among Smallholder Farmers in Southwest, Nigeria

Maize is cereal crops commonly grown in Nigeria and it is a source of livelihood for many farming households. This study analyzed the resource use efficiency in maize production among smallholder farmers in southwest, Nigeria. A multistage sampling method was used to select two hundred and seventy (270) farmers for this study. Primary data were collected using well-structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and stochastic frontier production function were used as analytical tools. The results showed that the mean age of the farmers was 47.7 years. Most (76.3%) are males which were married (82.2%) with household size of 5.8. There is high (82.9%) level of literacy among the farmers. The average output of production was 5,038.25kg which were gotten from planting of improved maize seeds (88.5%). Maize cultivation is profitable enterprise because for every ₦1 invested, ₦1.74will be realized as gain. The Maximum Likelihood Estimate (MLE) results revealed that the technical efficiency of maize farmers varied due to the presence of technical inefficiency effects on maize production. Farm size (5%), quantity of fertilizer (10%) and capital input (1%) are the factors significantly affecting technical efficiency. Also, household size (5%), marital status (1%) and gender (10%) are the factors that significantly influence technical inefficiency. The explanatory variables can account for 66% of the total variations in the efficiencies of production, while 34% of the variations are given to error. Policies and programmes that focus on encouraging more young people and women to agriculture should be enacted and implemented.