http://ecsenet.com/index.php/2576-6740 <p>ISSN: 2576-6740</p> Eastern Centre of Science and Education en-US Agricultural Development 2576-6740 http://ecsenet.com/index.php/2576-6740/article/view/14 <p>This study aims to analyze the technical efficiency of sorghum production by smallholder farmers in Konso district, Southern Ethiopia using cross sectional data collected from a sample of 124 sorghum producing households. Individual levels of technical efficiency scores were estimated using the Cobb-Douglas functional form, which was specified to estimate the stochastic production frontier. The estimated stochastic production frontier model indicated that input variables such as land size, fertilizer (Urea and DAP), labour, oxen power and chemicals (herbicides or pesticides) found to be important factors in increasing the level of sorghum output in the study area. The result further revealed significant differences in technical efficiency among sorghum producers in the study area. The discrepancy ratio, which measures the relative deviation of output from the frontier level due to inefficiency, was about 90%. The estimated mean of technical efficiency of the sample households was about 69%, which shows existence of a possibility to increase the level of sorghum output by about 31% by efficient use of the existing resources. Among the household specific socio-economic and institutional factors hypothesized to affect the level of technical inefficiency, age, education level, family size, off/non-farm activities, extension contact, livestock holding, plots distance and soil fertility were found to be significant in determining the level of technical inefficiency of sorghum production in the study area. Negative coefficients of education level, family size, off/non-farm activities, extension contact and soil fertility indicates that improvement in these factors results in a significant decrease in the level of technical inefficiency. Akin, positive coefficients of age, livestock holding and plots distance were found to increase households’ technical inefficiency. Hence, emphasis should be given to improve the efficiency level of those less efficient households by adopting the practices of relatively efficient households in the study area. Beside this, policies and strategies of the government should be directed towards the above mentioned determinants.</p> Kusse Haile Jema Haji Bosena Tegegne Copyright (c) 0 2018-11-29 2018-11-29 3 1 15 10.20448/journal.523.2018.31.1.15 http://ecsenet.com/index.php/2576-6740/article/view/15 <p>This study provides an analysis of producers’ crop planting decision behavior in response to econometric factors, the biophysical environment, and biofuel policy mandates. Specifically, we measure the effects due to economic impacts on an area planted with corn from 1990 to 2015. We develop a crop supply response model and estimate that acres planted with corn in the state of North Dakota have increased by 1.2 million over the last twelve years. Also, the value of crop price elasticities indicates a significant impact on corn planted acreage decisions due to change in crop prices. Corn future price and ethanol price elasticities are positively impacted by corn planted acreage whereas corn planted acreage negatively impacts competitive crop price elasticities. We find that impact of climate variables on corn acreage decision is evident. We show that the inclusion of county interaction effect variables significantly improves the model parameters. Key findings also indicate that a 1% increase in soil moisture in month of May led to a 0.1486% increase in corn acreage expansion. Similarly, as maximum temperature increased during the planting season, corn planted acreage expanded significantly. Also, the total rainfall is positively correlated with corn planted acreage as expected. For example, a 1% increase in total rainfall led to a 0.2143% increase in total corn planted acreage.</p> Rezwanul Parvez David C Roberts David Ripplinger Copyright (c) 0 2018-12-31 2018-12-31 3 16 36 10.20448/journal.523.2018.31.16.36