Evaluation of effect of innovations on the economic efficiency of soybean production in Borgou in northern Benin

Abstract

The agricultural innovations popularized in soybean production in Benin could contribute to improving the incomes of producers. This study assesses the effect of innovations on the economic efficiency of soybean production in Borgou in northern Benin. Cobb-Douglass type stochastic production and cost frontier functions were estimated to analyze levels of economic efficiency. The factors determining the levels of economic efficiency were highlighted by the estimation of a Tobit model. It emerges from the analysis of 279 soybean producers observed in September 2021 in a random and reasoned manner, that the values of the estimated parameters show that the prices of the herbicides and fertilizers used, the costs of transport and labor hired labor significantly affect the cost of soybean production. In general, the average technical, allocative and economic efficiency scores are respectively 0.71; 0.82 and 0.58. Adopters of introduced and modified innovations are economically efficient at 68% while adopters of introduced and endogenous innovations are 58% and 56% respectively. So there are still re-serves of productivity to be developed in order to increase soybean production and increase producers' incomes. As for the analysis of the determinants of economic efficiency, it shows that variables such as access to CAIG, experience in soybean production, application of mucuna and inoculum improve the economic efficiency of soybean producers in the study area. Thus, increased awareness of the innovations introduced could improve the efficiency of soybean farmers.

Keywords: efficiency, innovations, determinants, soy, northern Benin.

JEL Classification: G 23

Paper type: Empirical research