ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY IN INTEGRATED CROP-LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEM IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the best efficient integrated crop-livestock farming system in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained through structured questionnaire and interview schedule. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 7 LGAs (Ikara, Kubau, Kudan, Lere, Soba, Sabon-Gari and Zaria) purposively in stage I for prevalence of integrated crop-livestock farming, 28 villages were selected purposively also for the same reason in stage II while at last stage 400 crop-livestock farmers were randomly selected. Descriptive statistics, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Tobit regression model were used to achieve the objective of this study. Results of the socio-economic characteristics revealed that about 92% of the integrated crop-livestock farmers were found to be male with mean age of 44 years and household size of 7 persons per farmer. Results from the DEA showed that the mean total efficiency, pure efficiency and scale efficiency were found to be 0.74, 0.89 and 0.83, respectively. The DEA results further revealed that farmers can reduce the quantity of farm size, labour, seed, fertilizer, manure and agrochemical inputs by 0.18%, 10.97%, 14.43%, 5.28%, 26.93% and 18.48%, respectively. Furthermore, the findings revealed that 19.9, 30.19 and 65.11% of farmers operated at optimal, sub-optimal and super-optimal scale, respectively. Tobit regression model used to determine factors influencing technical efficiency established that coefficients of age (0.201), household size (0.0204), education level (0.206), farming experience (0.321), extension contact 0.311) and cooperative membership (0.1801) were statistically significant variables at different level of probability. There should be synergy between crop and animal scientists; extension agents and agricultural economists to bring into bearing the needs for farmers to imbibe integrated crop-livestock farming to achieve optimum level of efficiency.