Mango et al., Cogent Economics & Finance (2015), 3: 1117189 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2015.1117189 GENERAL & APPLIED ECONOMICS | RESEARCH ARTICLE A stochastic frontier analysis of technical eiciency in smallholder maize production in Zimbabwe: The post-fast-track land reform outlook Nelson Mango 1 *, Clifton Makate 2 , Benjamin Hanyani-Mlambo 3 , Shephard Siziba 3 and Mark Lundy 4 Abstract: This article analyses the technical eiciency of maize production in Zimbabwe’s smallholder farming communities following the fast-track land reform of the year 2000 with a view of highlighting key entry points for policy. Using a randomly selected sample of 522 smallholder maize producers, a stochastic frontier production model was applied, using a linearised Cobb–Douglas production function to determine the production elasticity coeicients of inputs, technical eiciency and the determinants of eiciency. The study inds that maize output responds positively to increases in inorganic fertilisers, seed quantity, the use of labour and the area planted. The technical eiciency analysis suggests that about 90% of farmers in the sample are between 60 and 75% eicient, with an average eiciency in the sample of 65%. The signiicant determinants of technical eiciency were the gender of the household head, household size, frequency of extension visits, farm size and the farming region. The results imply that the average eiciency of maize produc- tion could be improved by 35% through better use of existing resources and tech- nology. The results highlight the need for government and private sector assistance *Corresponding author: Nelson Mango, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Kawanda Research Station, P.O. Box 6247, Kampala, Uganda E-mail: n.mango@cgiar.org Reviewing editor: Caroline Elliott, University of Huddersield, UK Additional information is available at the end of the article ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nelson Mango is a rural development sociologist specialised in agrarian transformation processes, with an emphasis on small-scale farming, technology development and social change, endogenous development and rural livelihoods. Over the years, he has done substantive ieldwork on socio-technical dimensions of maize, zero grazing dairy farming, and soil fertility (re) production in East Africa. He has also worked on livestock, livelihoods and poverty in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa using a wide range of methodologies drawn from both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. In the southern Africa region, his research focused on Conservation Agriculture and how to improve farmers’ livelihoods through multi-stakeholder innovation platforms and linking them to extension and business development services. Currently his research work has shifted to East and Central Africa with focus on value chains for nutrition and health, and Policy, Institutions and Markets. Theoretically, he combines actor perspective with broader questions related to political economy. PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT This article concerns technical eiciency of crop production as an important aspect of pursuing output growth in agriculture in developing countries. Following the fast-track land reform of 2000, Zimbabwe’s smallholder farming communities have grown signiicantly and now produce the bulk of the country’s maize. However, the sector’s productivity remains low, with yield per hectare averaging only about 0.7 tonnes, seemingly because of technical ineiciencies. This paper contributes to the current debate in inding ways of raising maize productivity in smallholder farming by highlighting key entry points for policy. Findings show that maize output responds positively to increases in inorganic fertilisers, seed quantity, the use of labour and the area planted. This implies that the average eiciency of maize production could be improved through government and private sector assistance in promoting access to productive resources and ensuring better and more reliable agricultural extension services. Received: 16 September 2015 Accepted: 30 October 2015 Published: 26 November 2015 © 2015 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. Page 1 of 14 Nelson Mango