Gender difference and farm level efficiency: metafrontier production function approach

Abstract

Gender mainstreaming has, for some time now, been identified as a paramount issue in development of resource-poor societies, and particularly, the women whose access to productive resources is limited due to tradition, culture and other socio-economic constraints. This research paper investigates the influence of Gender in management on the level of efficiency of food crop farms in Ghana. The study specifically: compares the technical efficiency scores of farms with male entrepreneurs and those with female entrepreneurs; examines the determinants of technical efficiency of food crop farmers; and compares technological gaps of farms with male entrepreneurs and those with female entrepreneur. The study involved 90 male food crop farmers and 90 female food crop farmers in the Juaboso District in the Western Region of Ghana. The respondents interviewed were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Stochastic metafrontier production function was used to estimate the efficiency scores in each group and multiple regression models was estimated to verify the determinants of technical efficiency. Survey was conducted with structured interview schedules to collect data. The estimated technical efficiencies indicate that food crop farmers in the Juaboso District of Ghana are, in general, less efficient in their production. Although farms under male farmers management had higher mean value of production figures relative to the female farmers’ farms, the farms under female farmers management were found to be more efficient and also nearer to the potential output defined by the metafrontier production function compared to the farms owned by males. We also found technical efficiency to be influenced significantly by gender, age, household size, years of farming experience, access to credit, education and consultation with extension staff