Evaluating the Performance of Corn (Zea mays L.) Farming for Food Self-Sufficiency: Technical, Allocative, and Economic Efficiency

Abstract

Purpose: Corn productivity in Indonesia is currently not as high as desired. The high cost of production inputs and lower competence levels of farmers are the primary reasons behind this. As a result, the country has not yet achieved food self-sufficiency. This study aims to identify the factors that affect corn production, analyze corn farming inefficiencies, and evaluate the technical and economic efficiency levels in corn farming.Research Method: Survey methods were used to collect primary data from corn farmers in Central Java Province, Indonesia. The collected data was then analyzed using Frontier 4.1 analysis tools, employing the frontier stochastic approach. Sampling was conducted using simple random sampling with 268 corn farmer respondents.Findings and Values: Factors contributing to increasing corn production include land availability, quality of seeds, use of urea NPK fertilizers, and pesticides. On the other hand, formal education and non-agricultural income sources can negatively affect corn production efficiency. While corn farming has achieved technical efficiency, it has not yet reached economic efficiency. High production input prices and insufficient farmer competence are the main factors that negatively impact economic efficiency in farming involving stakeholders in optimizing corn farming to achieve food self-sufficiency.