Tropentag, September 16 - 18, 2026, Göttingen "Towards multi-functional agro-ecosystems promoting climate-resilient futures"

Technical efficiency and profitability of rice ratooning in Africa: Evidence from seven countries

¹Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Uganda
²Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Madagascar
³International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Kenya
⁴Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract

Rice consumption in Africa is growing rapidly, yet conventional rice cultivation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, and wetland loss. Ratooning-harvesting a second crop from stubble of the main crop-offers a potential pathway for sustainable intensification, but evidence under real farm conditions across Africa remains scarce. This study assesses whether rice ratooning improves technical efficiency and profitability among smallholders, using cross-sectional farm household data from 3,276 rice farmers across seven African countries (Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Madagascar). We estimate a stochastic frontier production function to derive technical efficiency and inefficiency determinants, and calculate gross margins, average and marginal value-cost ratios. To address self-selection bias, we apply propensity score matching to estimate the causal effect of ratooning on gross margins per hectare. Descriptive results show that ratoon yields range from 34% to 68% of main crop yields, while ratoon costs per hectare range from 12% to 52% of main crop costs, indicating substantial cross-country heterogeneity. Stochastic frontier estimates reveal that ratooning significantly reduces technical inefficiency in Senegal (-1.985, p<0.05) but increases inefficiency in Kenya (1.250, p<0.05) and Tanzania (1.825, p<0.01). Propensity score matching results show a positive and significant average treatment effect on the treated for Senegal (+286 USD/ha, p<0.05), but negative effects for Kenya (-631 USD/ha, p<0.01) and Madagascar (-457 USD/ha, p<0.05). We conclude that rice ratooning is not universally profitable or efficient in Africa; its performance is highly context-specific. Promising use cases exist (e.g., Senegal), but blanket promotion without agronomic support, particularly in East Africa, is unwarranted.

Keywords: Africa, profitability, propensity score matching, rice ratooning, stochastic frontier analysis, technical efficiency

Contact Address: Augustine Oloo, Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Policy, Innovation Systems, and Impact Assessment Program, Kampala, Uganda, e-mail: olooaugustine191gmail.com