Determinants of Technical Efficiency of Sweet Potatoes Farming in North West, Nigeria

Abstract

This study focused on the determinants of technical efficiency of sweet potatoes farming in North West, Nigeria. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 240 farmers using on a well-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, stochastic production efficiency frontier model, and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. The results show that sweet potato farmers were predominantly middle-aged (44 years), experienced (14 years), and educated (13 years), with an average household size of 9 persons. The mean technical efficiency score was 0.53, indicating that farmers operated at about 53% of their potential output, leaving a 47% efficiency gap that could be closed through improved resource management. The production frontier estimates showed that farm size, and labour, significantly and positively influenced the output of sweet potato, while technical inefficiency was significantly reduced by education, farming experience, and access to credit. A profitability test revealed a significant difference between production costs (₦548,074) and returns (₦1,125,500). The major constraints faced by farmers include limited access to credit, low education level, poor extension contact, and lack of cooperative memberships. The policy interventions should prioritize farmer education, improved extension contact, credit access, and provision of productivity-enhancing inputs to bridge the efficiency gap and promote sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria’s root and tuber subsector.