Impact of multiple maize technology package adoption on the production efficiency and food security of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia: Evidence from the Sidama region.

This study aimed to investigate the individual or combined impacts of multiple maize technology package adoption on the production efficiency and food security of smallholder farmers in the selected districts of Sidama region of Ethiopia. The cross-sectional data of 424 sample farmers owing 545 maize plots were collected using multistage sampling approaches. The selection-bias corrected multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model was employed to assess the impact of improved maize seed, chemical fertilizers, and row planting adoption on the production efficiency and food security of smallholder maize-producing farmers. In the first stage of the MESR model, the multinomial logit was used to examine the determinants of adoption. The results of the model showed that a male household head, greater household size, land size, tropical livestock unit, oxen, several plots, extension contact, credit access, and membership in farmers-based organizations were significant factors affecting the adoption of improved maize seed, chemical fertilizer, and row planting. In addition, the results from the second stage impact estimation demonstrated that the adoption of maize technology packages, both individually and in combination, significantly impacts the production efficiency and food security of farming households. Moreover, the simultaneous adoption of two or more technology packages has a greater impact than it does in isolation. The highest technical, allocative, and economic efficiency and food consumption scores, which are 33 %, 37 %, 47 %, and 17, respectively, were achieved when farm households adopted all technology packages simultaneously, followed by the adopters of two packages in combination. Therefore, the policies and strategies aimed at increasing farmers' production efficiency and food security should address the important variables identified and promote wider adoption in combination to realize the utmost benefit.