| dc.description.abstract | Chicken production is becoming important in Uganda, especially in Kasese district. Various
government programs and development agencies have prioritized chicken production as one of
the enterprises that can lead to an increase in farm income for smallholder farmers. Therefore,
an increasing number of farmers in Kasese district are adopting layer chicken production.
However, the productivity of layer farmers is still low. In order to optimize returns from the
increased uptake of chicken production, focus should be on increasing the efficiency of these
farmers. This requires investigating the factors that influence technical efficiency of these
farmers. The study therefore assessed technical efficiency (TE) of layer chicken production
and the inherent factors influencing technical efficiency. While adopting a cross-sectional
approach, the study used a random sample of 140 chicken farmers selected across the entire
district.
Data was collected using structured questionnaires. Technical efficiency was assessed using
the parametric stochastic frontier approach, while the factors that influence technical efficiency
were assessed using the Tobit regression model. Results showed that flock size (p<0.01) and
quantity of drugs used (p<0.1) were the major productivity determinants. The mean technical
efficiency was 81%with over 90% of the farmers operating above 50%technical efficiency. A
number of socio-economic factors were found to influence technical efficiency. These include;
number of females in the household (p<0.01), farmers experience (p<0.1), assistance from
organizations (p<0.01), and number of household members with primary education (p<0.05).
The study recommends support to female farmers to increase labor productivity, regulating
local markets to ensure steady supply inputs, establishing livestock diagnostic laboratories to
enable proper disease diagnosis for effective treatment and promoting at least primary
education to enable farmers grasp new technologies and innovations. There is also need to train
farmers on disease prevention so as to reduce on the quantity of drugs used that was associated
with the low productivity. | en_US |
