Examining the level of farm-specific technical efficiency of farmers growing irrigated
and non-irrigated rice in Northern Ghana, this study fitted cross-sectional data into a
transcendental logarithmic (translog) production frontier. The study concludes that rice
farmers are technically inefficient. There is no significant difference in mean technical
efficiencies for non-irrigators (53%) and irrigators (51%). The main determinants of
technical efficiency in the study area are education, extension contact, age and family
size. Providing farmers with both formal and informal education will be a useful
investment and a good mechanism for improving efficiency in rice farming. There is
also need for training more qualified extension agents and motivating them to deliver