GENDER, RESOURCE USE AND TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AMONG RICE FARMERS IN THE ASHANTI REGION, GHANA

Abstract

This study examined the differences in resource use and technical efficiency between male female rice farmers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The stochastic production frontier model was used to assess the technical efficiency of the rice farmers. Female rice farmers were found to be producing at high levels of inefficiency. The predicted efficiencies differed substantially from between 2 and 85%, with mean efficiency of 24%. The low mean efficiency index is an indication of inefficiencies in resource use. Also, female headed farms recorded a mean technical efficiency of 16.5% with a range of between 2 and 66%. The male headed farms, on the other hand, showed a mean technical efficiency of 30.8%, and a range between 2 and 85%. The results imply that on the average, female rice farmers are relatively technically inefficient than their male counterparts. The paper concludes that since women farmers contribute about 60% of domestic food supply in Ghana, it is important that efforts should be made to build the capacity of women farmers to produce efficiently.