Gender Differentials in Scale and Technical Efficiencies among Improved Wheat Variety Growers in Wheat Belt Areas of Ethiopia: A Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

The study employs the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to evaluate the scale and technical efficiencies by gender. Primary data were obtained through the use of a set of questionnaire from two hundred eighty seven representative sample wheat plots of men and women wheat farmers from three districts of Arsi zone, Ethiopia. The results show that women farmers are more technical efficient than men farmers with mean technical efficiency indices of 0.808 and 0.700, and scale efficiency indices of 0.780 and 0.816, respectively. The second stage regression forfemale farmers indicates that fragmentation, farm size, location, technology adoption, fertility status, tenancy, extension access and credit access were found to be important determinants of technical efficiency. While for the male headed households the regression shows that positive and significant correlation between adoption of wheat technologies and efficiency. Policies should therefore target improving female wheat farmers’ access to wheat technologies, fertilizer, and extension and credit services. Due to labor and time constraints women faced, technologies generation should also be gender sensitive. In the case of male farmers future agriculture policies should focus on measures to improve the capacity of male farmers to apply the available technology more efficiently. This can be done by improving access to extension services and wheat technologies for male farmers. Keywords: Gender differentials, Data Envelopment Analysis, Scale and Technical Efficiency, Rust resistant Wheat varietie