Technical Efficiency and the Role of Crop Diversification among Smallholder Farmers in the Geba Catchment, Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

Mohammed Endris Harun; Indalew Bongase

doi:10.17306/j.jard.2026.2.00010r1

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Technical Efficiency and the Role of Crop Diversification among Smallholder Farmers in the Geba Catchment, Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development

Volume 80 (2026): Issue 2 (June 2026)

By: Mohammed Endris Harun and Indalew Bongase

Open Access

|Jun 2026

Abstract

Despite sustained national agricultural growth in Ethiopia, smallholder productivity remains far below potential. Using cross-sectional data from 265 randomly selected farm households in the Geba catchment (Tigray) collected during the 2017/18 cropping season, this study estimates technical efficiency and examines the effect of crop diversification on efficiency. A Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier model with simultaneous inefficiency effects (Battese and Coelli, 1995) was applied. Mean technical efficiency was 67% (range 20–90%), indicating that output could rise by approximately 49% without additional inputs if inefficiency were eliminated. Age of household head and access to irrigation reduce inefficiency, while distance to market increases it. Most importantly, the number of crops cultivated is negatively and significantly associated with technical inefficiency, confirming that crop diversification markedly enhances efficiency, primarily through better seasonal utilization of family labour and risk spreading. Policies promoting crop diversification, small-scale irrigation, and market access are recommended to boost productivity in rain-fed smallholder systems.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17306/j.jard.2026.2.00010r1 | Journal eISSN: 1899-5772 | Journal ISSN: 1899-5241

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Language: English

Page range: 188 - 194

Accepted on: Apr 29, 2026

Published on: Jun 30, 2026

Published by: The University of Life Sciences in Poznań

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

technical efficiency,

stochastic frontier analysis,

crop diversification,

smallholder agriculture,

Tigray,

Ethiopia

Related subjects:

Business and economics,

Political economics,

Political economics, other,

Business management,

Business management, other,

Life sciences,

Life sciences, other,

Social sciences,

Political science,

Political science, other

© 2026 Mohammed Endris Harun, Indalew Bongase, published by The University of Life Sciences in Poznań
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 80 (2026): Issue 2 (June 2026)