Does practicing healthy lifestyles improve the technical efficiency of farms?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to ascertain if practising healthy lifestyles improves the technical efficiency of farms in Kwara state, Nigeria. In theory, all deviations from the optimum level of output are due to random effects and inefficiency of producers in which their health plays a key p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of social economics 2024-04, Vol.51 (5), p.641-654
Main Authors: Adebisi, Oluwaremilekun Ayobami, Muhammad-Lawal, Abdulazeez, Adebisi, Luke Oloruntoba
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Agricultural production
Agriculture
Averages
Corn
Economic growth
Efficiency
Ethics
Farmers
Farms
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
Health status
Human capital
Lifestyles
Low income groups
Peer review
Productivity
Propensity
Random effects
Rural areas
Socioeconomic factors
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Summary:PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to ascertain if practising healthy lifestyles improves the technical efficiency of farms in Kwara state, Nigeria. In theory, all deviations from the optimum level of output are due to random effects and inefficiency of producers in which their health plays a key part and is dependent on the kind of lifestyle practiced whether healthy or unhealthy.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional data were employed through a three-staged sampling technique to pick 320 arable crop farmers across the state using a well-defined questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics, healthy lifestyles index (HLI), stochastic production frontier (SPF) and propensity score matching (PSM).FindingsFirst, the analysis showed that about one-third of the sampled arable crop farmers practised healthy lifestyles. Second, the average technical efficiency of arable crop production for farmers who practised a healthy lifestyle was 0.893, and the level of technical inefficiency of the farms was determined by health-related lifestyle status, number of day's illness and educational level. Third, technical efficiency was improved by 0.00431067 for farms whose farmers practised a healthy lifestyle.Originality/valueRather than seeing that technical efficiencies of farms are attributed to farm characteristics, inputs used and socioeconomic characteristics alone, the findings suggest that technical inefficiencies of arable crop farmers were also due to the kind of lifestyle practised, which was evidenced in the increased efficiency for farmers who practised healthy lifestyle.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2023-0353
ISSN:0306-8293
1758-6712
DOI:10.1108/IJSE-05-2023-0353