Unlocking agricultural efficiency: A stochastic frontier analysis of smallholder farmers in Rwanda

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Food Policy Research Instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Nairobien
cg.contributor.donorEuropean Unionen
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Funden
cg.contributor.programAcceleratorFood Frontiers and Security
cg.contributor.programAcceleratorSustainable Farming
cg.coverage.countryRwanda
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.coverage.regionSub-Saharan Africa
cg.creator.identifierGilberthe Uwera Benimana: 0000-0001-6481-9697en
cg.creator.identifierJames Warner: 0000-0002-5768-3004en
cg.howPublishedGrey Literatureen
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Development Strategies and Governance Uniten
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Rwanda Strategy Support Programen
cg.identifier.publicationRankNot rankeden
cg.number17en
cg.placeWashington, DCen
cg.reviewStatusInternal Reviewen
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food security
cg.subject.impactAreaPoverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs
dc.contributor.authorBenimana, Gilberthe Uweraen
dc.contributor.authorWarner, Jamesen
dc.contributor.authorMissiame, Arnold Kwesien
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-13T14:47:18Zen
dc.date.available2025-05-13T14:47:18Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/174560
dc.titleUnlocking agricultural efficiency: A stochastic frontier analysis of smallholder farmers in Rwandaen
dcterms.abstractAgriculture is central to Rwanda's economy, supporting the livelihood of about 70% of the population and contributing significantly to GDP. Smallholder farmers face many production challenges such as limited use of modern inputs, low productivity, and vulnerability to climate change. Despite efforts like the Crop Intensification Program and the Smart Nkunganire System, which aim to en hance access to resources, agricultural productivity remains suboptimal for Rwanda smallholder farmers. This study seeks to identify specific sources of technical inefficiencies among smallholder farmers, focusing on the total value of farmer’s crop output. By using stochastic frontier analysis, a robust quantitative method for separating inefficiencies and random shocks, the study assessed the overall technical efficiency of smallholder farmers in Rwanda and identified the key factors influencing crop output value. The analysis reveals that fertilizer use, pesticide application, labor, seed use, and land size are key drivers of crop output value. This research further indicates that farmers operate at only 45% of their potential productivity, given the same level of input and technology, highlighting substantial room for efficiency improvements to reach the optimal output value frontier. Furthermore, additional analysis emphasizes the critical role of socioeconomic factors in shaping technical efficiency. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to optimize resource utilization, streamline labor allocation and strengthen access to extension services and government initiatives aimed at boosting agricultural production value. These strategies can substantially improve technical efficiency, enabling farmers to achieve optimal crop output values and advancing Rwanda's agricultural development objectives.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceDevelopment Practitionersen
dcterms.bibliographicCitationBenimana, Gilberthe Uwera; Warner, James; and Missiame, Arnold Kwesi. 2025. Unlocking agricultural efficiency: A stochastic frontier analysis of smallholder farmers in Rwanda. Rwanda SSP Working Paper 17. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174560en
dcterms.extent27 p.en
dcterms.isPartOfRwanda SSP Working Paperen
dcterms.issued2025-05-12en
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherInternational Food Policy Research Instituteen
dcterms.subjectagricultureen
dcterms.subjectsmallholdersen
dcterms.subjectstochastic modelsen
dcterms.subjectcropsen
dcterms.subjectagricultural developmenten
dcterms.typeWorking Paper

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