DETERMINANTS OF TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF PIXIE PRODUCTION IN MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

There exists a great potential for pixie production in Makueni County. The potential is 13,482 Kgs/Ha. However, various constraints such as costly inputs and lack of adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies hinder the production of pixie to the optimum potential. The average production is 4,000-10,000 Kgs/Ha. With regard to pixie farming in Kenya's Makueni County, the study sought to examine the factors that influence technical efficiency. Three specific goals were set out for the study: To determine the technical efficiency of pixie production; To investigate the effects of socioeconomic characteristics on technical efficiency; and to ascertain the influence of sustainable agricultural technologies on technical efficiency. Primary data was collected through the use of questionnaires and interview schedules. The sample size for the study was 311 pixie farmers who were sampled through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Non-experimental cross-sectional research design was adopted. The Cobb-Douglas Stochastic Frontier model was used to determine the technical efficiency of the pixie farmers whereas a generalized linear regression model was fitted to determine the effect of socio-economic and adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies on technical efficiency. The study results found that the technical efficiency of the pixie farmers ranged from 0.359 to 0.942, with a mean technical efficiency of 0.750. It was discovered that the various socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers affected the pixie farmers' technical efficiency. Based on the results of the stochastic frontier production function, the maximum likelihood estimates of technical efficiency showed that labour, manure, and fertilizer were the factors that led to higher productivity. The mean technical efficiencies for those who adopted irrigation, IPM, and soil and water management were 0.771, 0.761, and 0.752 respectively. The non-adopters mean technical efficiencies were 0.738, 0.72, and 0.737 respectively. The study recommends for provision of extension services by the extension officers to the pixie farmers. To achieve a high pixie output, it is necessary to diversify various sources of revenue and encourage young farmers to take up pixie farming. The government should: Implement policies that facilitate farmers' access to credit; standardize loan repayment terms; and devise plans for those farmers who are highly productive to teach less productive farmers how to apply good agricultural practices and close the large productivity gap.