Comparative assessment of technical efficiencies of irrigated crop production farms: A case study of the large-scale Kampe-Omi irrigation scheme, Nigeria

Abstract

The technical inefficiencies of crop production system in terms of large-scale irrigation schemes are major problems attributed to the underperformance of crop farms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate and compare farm-level technical efficiencies of four major crop productions system including, pepper, okra, garden egg, and tomato under the large-scale Kampe-Omi irrigation scheme, Nigeria. The data development analysis (DEA) approach was used to study the hypothesized determinants affecting the efficiencies of crop farms using an ordinary least squares regression model. The results showed that the selected pepper, okra, garden egg, and tomato crop farms were fully efficient at 20, 10, 16.92, and 40% under constant return to scale (CRS), and at 13.33, 30, 10.77, and 25.71% under variable return to scale (VRS), respectively. DEA revealed a considerable variation in technical inefficiency among the selected crop farms under the irrigation scheme. The significant determinants of technical efficiencies of the four crop farms include farmers’ age, family size, experience, alternative income, education, credit accessibility, and contact with extension agents. The outcomes of this study are useful for improving production efficiencies while serving as a convenient guide for both farmers and irrigation scheme managers of selected crops.

Keywords:

• crop production
• DEA
• large-scale irrigation scheme
• technical efficiency
• Nigeria

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the management and staff of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Ilorin during the data collection for this study.