Journal of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences ISSN:2233-8322(Print) 2508-870X(Online) 농업생명환경연구

Farm production and productivity can be increased by adding inputs or improving efficiency of producers. The latter can be done without increasing the amount of information. Here, using a questionnaire, data on harvested paddy rice (tons), farm size (ha), seeds sown (kg), number of household members able to work, money used in farming, dummy variable about the use of organic fertilizer (manure), and proper irrigation practice and application of pesticides, were collected from 120 rice farmers in the Nyamasheke district of Rwanda. This data was used to estimate the stochastic frontier production model. Data on farming experience (years), years of schooling, number of extensionist visits, dummy about rice being the main crop, being a beneficiary of agriculture non-governmental organization, and the use of certified seeds, was used to estimate the technical inefficiency model. The mean technical efficiency was 81.32 % with a minimum of 47.44 % and a maximum of 97.67 %, indicating that farmers are not yet efficient in producing rice, and that rice yield can be increased on average up to 18.68 % without increasing the level of current inputs. As the study revealed, the increase in production can be obtained from the efficient use of certified seeds and fair allocation of agricultural non-governmental organizations in the district.