Sustainable intensification and land use efficiency among smallholder maize farmers in northern Ghana

Sustainable intensification technologies (SITs) are widely promoted across sub-Saharan Africa to improve productivity and reduce land degradation. However, their relationship with land use efficiency remains insufficiently understood. This study uses a translog stochastic frontier model and farm-level data from 372 smallholder maize farmers in northern Ghana to examine how SIT adoption is associated with technical land use efficiency (TLUE). On average, SIT adopters are 21% more land efficient than non-adopters, requiring approximately 24% less land to achieve the same output. Since land is treated as a fixed input in the frontier, the TLUE score directly reflects the effective land needed to produce observed yields. Adoption of improved seed, balanced fertilizer use, and agroecological practices is linked to better resource use, with the largest gains among farmers who initially operate furthest from the frontier. These efficiency improvements may reduce pressure for cropland expansion and support sustainable land management, especially when combined with enabling conditions such as credit access, extension support, and secure tenure. This study provides novel empirical evidence on how productivity improvements through SIT can enhance land use efficiency and contribute to land sparing outcomes. The findings offer insights for policies targeting land degradation neutrality and inclusive agricultural transformation in Ghana and similar contexts.