ISSN 2360-798X
Abstract: Rice is a critical food in Nigeria, so farmers need to make appropriate choices in rice production practices to maximize production and ensure an adequate domestic supply for food security.. As a result, this study used descriptive statistics and the Tobit model to examine the impact of rice production practices on the economic efficiency of paddy rice farmers in Nigeria. 360 paddy rice farmers in the study area were selected using multi-stage sampling methods. 360 paddy rice farmers in the study area were selected using multi-stage sampling methods. The results showed that farming practices included low land 247 (68.6%), upland 59 (16.4%), and irrigated 54 (15.0%). The study also found that the average number of years of experience with paddy rice cultivation for all samples was 9.1 years. Results indicated that output/yield was the most influential factor for participating in rice farming practices, as it ranked first with irrigated rice production practices having 67.7%. Similarly, plot wetness ranked second, with about 76.5% going to lowland production practice. Others are fertile soil ranked third with upland practice having 56% while distance to the nearest road ranked fourth and 60% goes to upland production practice. It was observed that Lowland practices have less economic efficiency than other practices (irrigated and upland). The effect of irrigation practice on economic efficiency is approximately 0.034, which means that farmers participating in irrigation farming are more economically efficient in their rice production than those in upland practice by 0.34, and the effect of lowland practice on economic efficiency is approximately -0.033, implying that farmers using lowland practice are 0.33% less economically efficient in rice production than those using upland practice. It is therefore recommended that farmers be encouraged to produce more under irrigation and upland for increased yield, profit, and food security.
Keywords: Production practice, Efficiency, Productivity..