Technical Efficiency and Commercialization of Moringa and its Impacts on Food and Nutrition Security in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State of Ethiopia

This study aimed at Moringa production efficiency analysis, commercialization, and evaluation of its food and nutrition security impacts at smallholder farm household level. It aims to fill the missing knowledge gaps through a cross-sectional survey study on data collected from selected 232 Moringa producer and 232 non-producer smallholder farmers from Wolaita and Gamo zones, southern Ethiopia. Descriptive statistics and econometric models were used to analyze data. First, the study has analyzed the technical efficiency of Moringa production. The analysis was conducted on sampled 117 Moringa producer farmers having five-year homogeneous production periods in southern Ethiopia. The Stochastic Frontier Model was used to estimate the level of productivity and efficiency. The one limit Tobit model was used to find sources of technical inefficiency of Moringa producing farmers. The collected data fitted Cobb-Douglas production function and it considered labor, land, and fertilizer as input variables; from these only labor is positively and significantly determined the yield of Moringa. The mean technical efficiency of 48.78% shows that farmers can increase Moringa yield by 51.22% with existing inputs and technology. The off/non-farm participation, access to road, credit, and irrigation were significant factors affecting the technical efficiency of Moringa. Moreover, the research investigated factors determining the Moringa commercialization in southern Ethiopia on selected 232 Moringa producing farmers in research areas. Heckman's sample selection model was adopted to identify the determinants of the likelihood of Moringa commercialization and the intensity. The results of the model revealed that access to irrigation and distance to the market as main variables significantly influencing the ability of farmers to participate in the Moringa yield market. Moreover, variables such as family size, extension contact, access to irrigation access to credit, and distance to market are the factors significantly influencing the intensity of market participation. Lastly, Propensity to Score Matching (PSM) model was used to evaluate the impact of Moringa production on household food and nutrition security. The findings of the PSM model indicated positive and significant differences among Moringa producer and non-producer farmers in selected outcome variables, weekly calorie intake, and xviii food consumption scores (FCS). Farmers producing Moringa were found to be more food and nutritionally secure than non-producers. Based on the findings the research recommended policies and development actions to be taken to advance the production and intensification of Moringa production in dry parts of the country. Therefore, policymakers should mainly work on development activities in the area through strengthening existing extension services, it should also focus on strengthening formal and informal education, strengthening the existing rural markets and rural-urban road and other infrastructural development activities. Arranging experience-sharing program in Moringa production is also required. Particularly, offering immediate practical training on techniques of market-oriented and value-added Moringa production and marketing systems to increase commercialization of Moringa in the study area. To advance the productivity of Moringa, any development direction should consider households with limited access to irrigation.