Technical innovation and farm productivity growth in dryland Africa: The effects of structural adjustment on smallholders in Kenya

D.M. Nyariki and Colin G. Thirtle

Agrekon, 2000, vol. 39, issue 4, 10

Abstract: This paper uses non-parametric approach to measure technical innovation and productivity growth at the smallholder farm-level in dry-land sub-Saharan Africa during the initial years of the structural adjustment programmes for agriculture. Data from Kenya for two production years, 1991/2 and 1995/6 are used to construct a Malmquist productivity index. The results show that the rise in input prices led to reduced use of modern inputs, so that efficiency increased at 12% per year. However, lower use of modern varieties and less fertiliser also gave technological regression at 2.5% per annum, so that the overall outcome was productivity growth of 3% per annum. However, productivity improvement cannot be sustainable without technological progress.

Keywords: Farm Management; Productivity Analysis; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:agreko:54220

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.54220

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