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The study sets out to measure the technical, allocative and cost efficiencies of maize farming in the Northern Region of Ghana for the 2014-2015 farming season. The region has 73% of its population as farmers, with maize being the most cultivated and consumed cereal. Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) are employed in the estimation. Interviews were conducted on 121 farmers selected through a mixed sampling technique. The study also segregated the quantities and prices of nitrogen and phosphorus from compound fertilizers. Under DEA, the study found an average efficiency of 79%, 67% and 53% for technical, allocative and cost efficiencies respectively. For SFA the results respectively are 77%, 27% and 21%. Cost and allocative efficiency estimates were very low especially for SFA. Using fractional regression analysis, it was found that household structure of farmers determined their technical efficiencies. Maize land size, marital status, education, and maize farming experience were found to affect allocative efficiency whiles marital status, household structure and maize farming experience affected cost efficiency. The study also found that labor was excessively used in the production process. Fertilizer application increased maize productivity more than other inputs. Policy recommendations were made following these findings.

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The term traceability refers to recording of flow of products along the food chain from production to consumption with inclusion of all intermediate applications involved in processing/packaging stages. The aim for establishing traceability in the food chain is to provide the timely identification and recall of batches of product from the market when a risk threatens the health of consumers. Since compound feed products are basic inputs in livestock and poultry production, ICT-based feed traceability systems can be considered as a initial step in food traceability management. These systems are simply information recording systems that are designed to trace and track the flow and characteristics of animal feed along the feed supply chain. This paper describes the architecture and some functional properties of a feed traceability system called as the “feed TRace”, focusing particularly on compound feed and integrated poultry meat industries. The feedTRace aims to improve compound feed supply chain management, to increase feed safety and quality control, and to gain marketing competencies with traceable products in compound feed industry. The system is currently under beta stage, and is tested in two high capacity feed milling plants and an integrated broiler company located inAdana province of Turkey.