ABSTRACT 

The study analyzed the efficiency and welfare of smallholder yam farming households in Benue State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 108 yam farming households selected using multistage sampling technique. The data from 2018 cropping season were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire. Data were collected using well structured questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Stochastic Frontier Production Function. The result of the cross tabulation between socioeconomic characteristics and technical efficiency shows that male headed households were more technically efficient with a mean technical efficiency of 0.73, a mean age of 50 years, a mean household size seven, mean farm size of 1.33 and a mean technical efficiency of 0.77 for households with farming experience between 11-20 years. The technical efficiency score of each respondent revealed that the most efficient farmer operated at 91% efficiency, the least was found to operate at 42% efficiency level, while the average was 79%, indicating that yam farmers still have the potential to increase the efficiency in their farming activities by 21% in the study area. The predicted allocative efficiencies differ substantially among the farmers ranging between value 0.414 and 0.821 with the mean allocative efficiency of 0.741. The yam farmer with the best and least practice had economic efficiency of 0.805 and 0.425 respectively. The mean economic efficiency was 0.65. The determinants of technical efficiency revealed that age, education, farm size, farming experience, extension contact and household size affect technical efficiency of the farmers. The variance parameters of the frontier production model were Sigma-squared (δ2) and Gamma (γ) and their estimated coefficients in the study area were 0.5259 and 0.6250 respectively. The regression estimates for determinants of welfare showed that education, household size, sex of household head, and household income were positive while age composition of the household head negatively influence welfare. The return per ₦1 invested was estimated to be ₦1.34. Hence, yam production was profitable in the study area. The major constraints were inadequate access to credit facilities, poor transportation network, pests and diseases, insurgency and high cost of labour. The study recommended that farmers should limit the use of agrochemicals while yam sett, fertilizer and labour that significantly affect production should be increase alongside with intensive use of farm size to boost more production.