The main objective of this study was to estimate the efficiency of resource use and to
determine the optimum crop mix that would maximize the farmer returns in the rain-fed
sector in Sinnar, State, Sudan. The study depended mainly on primary data that was
collected by field survey. A multi-stage stratified random sample technique was used for
classifying the farmers and assist in determining the sample size. A total of 173
households was chosen (104 households representing the traditional farmers and 69
households representing the semi-mechanized farmers). Data was collected through
personal interviewing the selected farmers about all their farming aspects related to
farming season 2011/12 using a structured questionnaire. Linear programming technique
was used for analyzing the parameters of the study. The entire was firstly classified into
two categories: Traditional farmers and semi-mechanized farmers, and secondly the
semi-mechanized farmers were further classified into three categories based on farm size;
namely small farmers with farm size of less than 500 hundred hectares, medium farms
with farm size of 500 to 1000 hectares, and large farms with farm size greater than 1000
hectares. The technical efficiency of resource use indicated that the resource in both
sectors for the production of all cultivated crops was not used efficiently. The results
revealed that operating capital in the traditional sector was underutilized and labor and
seeds were over-utilized. In the semi-mechanized sector operating capital and herbicides
were underutilized, while labor and seeds were over utilized. The farmers basic plans
showed that the traditional farmers cultivated a combination of sorghum, sesame, pearl
millet, cowpea and groundnut, while the semi-mechanized farmers cultivated a
combination of sorghum, sesame, pearl millet, and sunflower. The allocative efficiency
analysis has revealed that the optimum cropping pattern for the traditional farmers is by
cultivating sorghum and cowpea. The optimum cropping pattern for the semi-mechanized
farms is by cultivating: only millet for the small farms, sesame and sunflower for the
medium farms and sorghum and sunflower for the large farms. This optimum cropping
pattern has increased the income of farmers by 43%, 31.3%, 24.7%, and 24.2 for the
traditional farmers, semi-mechanized farmers, semi-mechanized large farmers, and semimechanized
small farmers, respectively. The study suggested that the government is
facilitate timely provision of necessary financial resources to farmers for improving the efficiency of resource use. The Agricultural Extension Department is to educate the
farmers about the optimum use of inputs.