Análise dos factores que afectam a produtividade da força de trabalho na produção da milho em Moçambique

Abstract

The general objective of the present work is to analyze the factors that determine the productivity of the workforce in maize production in Mozambique. The data used in this work come from the Agricultural Survey Work (TIA) corresponding to the 2004/2005 agricultural campaign. The study was motivated by the fact that small Mozambican farmers obtain low levels of productivity in agriculture due to: (i) the weak adoption of improved agricultural technologies, such as improved seeds, fertilizers, irrigation and mechanization, (ii) the poor access to extension services and information on market prices, (iii) the fact that farmers are less educated and (iv) issues of farmers having poor quality of health. The production function of the Cobb-Douglas type was the specification chosen to analyze the determinants of the average productivity of the workforce in maize culture. The parameters of interest were estimated using the Minimum Ordinary Staff (OLS) method, using the STATA statistical package. The results of this study indicate that the productivity of the workforce in the maize crop of the family sector in Mozambique is low, standing at an average of around 161kgs per person, compared to neighboring Malawi in the period from 2004 to 2007 which was around 258 kg per person (Masanganise, 2007). The results also show that the average available workforce is 3 people per farm and the heads of small and medium-sized farms have an average of about 4 years of schooling, with an average age of around 43 years. On the other hand, the average area cultivated by small and medium-sized farms is around 1.14 hectares and 78% of these farms are headed by men. In turn, the results of the statistically significant linear regression have a positive influence on the average productivity of the workforce, the intensity of land use, the gender of the head of the family, information on market prices, use of fertilizers, the practice of cotton culture and without statistical significance include the use of improved seed, age of the head of the family, maximum schooling in the family and the practice of tobacco cultivation. On the other hand, the variables with a statistically significant negative influence include the workforce and without statistical significance, include the presence of people with prolonged illness in the family and the death of someone due to prolonged illness in the family. Contrary to expectations, the results show that the effect of the variables use of animal traction and use of irrigation, which are statistically significant, and the contact with extension services, without statistical significance, on the average productivity of the workforce is negative, with the need to deepen the study of the possible causes of this result. In general, the present study indicates that the use of fertilizers, agricultural associations, access to information on market prices, the gender of the head of the family, the practice of cotton cultivation and the intensity of land use in relation to the workforce must taken into account for increasing the productivity of the labor force in maize production in Mozambique. As suggested by Uaiene (2009) and Zavale (2005), to improve agricultural production and productivity, partners (eg government, research institutions, and the private sector) should invest in improving research on better agricultural technologies, access to training and information, improve outreach programs and health programs (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA )