| dc.description.abstract | The use of improved crop varieties is key to increasing food production, but in SubSaharan Africa traditional varieties still dominate smallholder farming. Lack of
information is a major constraint to the adoption of improved varieties and the role of
social networks in their diffusion is increasingly being studied. Social networks can,
however, also affect the efficiency with which farmers use these technologies. In this
paper we investigate the influence of social networks on technical efficiency of
smallholder cereal producers. Using the case of Tanzania, we apply stochastic frontier
analysis on data from sorghum and maize producers. Results show that the effects of
social networks on efficiency differ by crop. Inter-village networks positively influence
technical efficiency of improved sorghum varieties, but have no effect in case of maize.
We further find that links to public extension officers increase efficiency of improved
maize varieties. Some wider research and policy implications are discussed. | en_US |
