Vegetable Production Efficiency of Smallholders’ Farmer in West Shewa Zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study tried to identify factors affecting vegetable production efficiency using cross-sectional data obtained from 385 randomly and proportionally sampled households from three districts of West Shewa zone, Ethiopia. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage, chi-square and mathematical approach data envelopment analysis DEA, econometrics model such as Tobit. Accordingly, DEA identify the average TE, AE and EE of farm households which encounter for 49.5%, 33.7% and 17.4% respectively. Factors affecting the inefficiency of vegetable production were identified using Tobit model. This model confirmed that age of households, education level, land size, access to irrigation, extension contact access to information and pesticide use were significantly affect TE, while age of the household, land size, access to irrigation, extension contact, access to information and pesticide use were factors affect AE of the farm households. Finally EE of the farm households was affected by age of the households, education level, land size, access to irrigation, access to information and pesticide use. The result suggested that improving the above problem can increase farmers’ economic efficiency in the study area.