The Effect of Land Fragmentation on Agricultural Efficiency and Productivity in the Nigerian Middle Belt

This study examines the effect of farm land fragmentation on agricultural efficiency and productivity in the Nigerian Middle Belt, providing rigorous empirical evidence on a question of significant policy importance. Land fragmentation, the dispersion of farm households' land across multiple non-contiguous plots, is prevalent in Nigeria's densely settled agricultural areas and is hypothesised to reduce efficiency through higher supervision costs, travel time between plots, and mechanisation barriers. However, fragmentation may also provide risk diversification benefits through exposure to varied micro-environmental conditions. This study uses a stochastic frontier analysis and data envelopment analysis framework applied to farm-level data from 320 smallholder farmers in Benue, Kogi, and Kwara States. Fragmentation is measured using the number of plots per household, average plot size, and a composite fragmentation index. Technical efficiency scores are computed and regressed on fragmentation measures alongside farm and household control variables. Findings reveal a significant non-linear relationship between fragmentation and efficiency, with moderate fragmentation showing positive effects through risk diversification while high fragmentation shows negative efficiency effects from supervision and transport costs. The efficiency cost of extreme fragmentation exceeds 18 percent of potential output in highly fragmented households. The study contributes an original non-linear fragmentation-efficiency analysis for the Nigerian Middle Belt and recommends targeted land consolidation programmes for the most fragmented farming communities.

Keywords: land fragmentation, agricultural efficiency, Middle Belt, stochastic frontier analysis, smallholder farming.