Efficiency of Resource Utilization in Dry Season Waterleaf Talinum triangulare Jacq. Wild Production by Women in Southern Nigeria

The study estimated the efficiency of resource use by women in dry season waterleaf production. The study was conducted in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State during the short dry season between November 2011 and February 2012. Through the multistage sampling technique, primary data were obtained from women waterleaf producers using questionnaire. Resource-use efficiency was estimated by fitting stochastic production frontier functions to survey data obtained from women waterleaf producers. Using the Maximum Likelihood analysis, asymptotic parameter estimates were evaluated to describe explainers of resource use efficiency. Results indicate that the most important resources were family labor, organic fertilizer, irrigation water, planting materials (cuttings). Result indicates that waterleaf cultivation is highly laborious particularly during deflowering and irrigation water. Findings further show that waterleaf producers relied more on organic fertilizer for increased production and yield. Land size, family labor and organic fertilizer are significant (P<.01) whereas irrigation water and waterleaf cuttings are significant (P<.10) and (P<.05) respectively. Findings reveal that none of the producers reached the maximum production efficiency. The mean resource use efficiency of 68 percent showed an inefficiency gap of 0.32 implying that about 32 percent increase in waterleaf output could be achieved using the same resource combination. The benefits of economies of scale could be achieved by expanding the size cultivable waterleaf land either through consolidation of existing holdings or acquiring new farm plots.