EVALUATION OF FARM TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AMONG SMALLHOLDER COTTON FARMERS IN ZIMBABWE

There are few efficiency studies that have been done in Zimbabwe. The current study bridges the literature gap by carrying a frontier efficiency analysis using survey data obtained from the cotton producing farms in three selected provinces. Results from a restricted stochastic frontier model, with a three-stage procedure, indicated existence of technical inefficiency in cotton production. Our findings proved that the results from the traditional frontier models are biased. The model displays that farmers' educational background, farm size, soil type, the application of fertilizer (both basal and top dressing), access to inputs, reliability of rainfall, farmers' involvement in off-farm work and cotton production experiences significantly (p= 0.05) contribute to input use efficiency. A quantile regression showed that knowledge indicators were pivotal in increasing farmers’ efficiency in cotton production. The impact of cotton production experience on technical efficiency was positive, though not significant, in the middle and higher efficiency percentiles. Notably, having a basic education (completing primary education only) was not sufficient in obtaining higher efficiency. Results indicated that the provision of agricultural training and the development of sound cotton extension services will assist farmers to acquire new technologies and decision-making capabilities about farm productivity that will ultimately raise the resource use efficiency in cotton production.