Abstract:
There exists a great potential for pixie production in Makueni County. The potential is
13,482 Kgs/Ha. However, various constraints such as costly inputs and lack of adoption of
sustainable agricultural technologies hinder the production of pixie to the optimum
potential. The average production is 4,000-10,000 Kgs/Ha. With regard to pixie farming in
Kenya's Makueni County, the study sought to examine the factors that influence technical
efficiency. Three specific goals were set out for the study: To determine the technical
efficiency of pixie production; To investigate the effects of socioeconomic characteristics
on technical efficiency; and to ascertain the influence of sustainable agricultural
technologies on technical efficiency. Primary data was collected through the use of
questionnaires and interview schedules. The sample size for the study was 311 pixie
farmers who were sampled through purposive and simple random sampling techniques.
Non-experimental cross-sectional research design was adopted. The Cobb-Douglas
Stochastic Frontier model was used to determine the technical efficiency of the pixie
farmers whereas a generalized linear regression model was fitted to determine the effect of
socio-economic and adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies on technical
efficiency. The study results found that the technical efficiency of the pixie farmers ranged
from 0.359 to 0.942, with a mean technical efficiency of 0.750. It was discovered that the
various socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers affected the pixie farmers' technical
efficiency. Based on the results of the stochastic frontier production function, the maximum
likelihood estimates of technical efficiency showed that labour, manure, and fertilizer were
the factors that led to higher productivity. The mean technical efficiencies for those who
adopted irrigation, IPM, and soil and water management were 0.771, 0.761, and 0.752
respectively. The non-adopters mean technical efficiencies were 0.738, 0.72, and 0.737
respectively. The study recommends for provision of extension services by the extension
officers to the pixie farmers. To achieve a high pixie output, it is necessary to diversify
various sources of revenue and encourage young farmers to take up pixie farming. The
government should: Implement policies that facilitate farmers' access to credit; standardize
loan repayment terms; and devise plans for those farmers who are highly productive to
teach less productive farmers how to apply good agricultural practices and close the large
productivity gap.
