Differentials in Socioeconomic Attributes of Male and Female Farmers and Effects on Technical Efficiency in Food Crop Production in Edo State, Nigeria

This paper was designed to compare the technical efficiency of food crop farmers along gender line. The stochastic production function, using the Cobb – Douglas functional form was used to estimate and compare the effects of some socio-economic characteristics of farmers on technical efficiency of male and female food crop farmers in the study area. Estimated results revealed that some socio-economic attributes such as education (b = -0.195 and b = -0.237), age (b = -0.297 and b = -0.051), household size (b = -0.216 and b = -0.319) and credit (b = -0.023 and b = -0.096) for both male and female food crop farmers respectively, revealed negative relationship with technical inefficiency, indicating that they (variables) decrease technical inefficiency and hence increase technical efficiency of the food crop farmers in the study area. But the coefficient of farming experience (b = 0.163 and b = 0.133) was positively signed for both male and female food crop farmers respectively. This shows a positive relationship with technical inefficiency effects, and negative relationship with technical efficiency. The study further revealed the significant differences in the socioeconomic attributes of male and female food crop farmers, resulting in differences in their technical efficiencies in the study area. An enhancement of the respective endowments (socio-economic status), as they affect the sexes for improved technical efficiency was recommended by the researchers.