Agriculture plays pivotal roles in Nigeria including food security, employment, foreign exchange earnings and
poverty reduction. This study examined the growth in food crop productivity in Imo State in Nigeria with
emphasis on the decomposition of total factor productivity (TFP) into technical progress, changes in technical
and allocative efficiency and scale effects. A panel data set comprising 210 observations drawn over 2001 – 2007
periods was used. Using the translog stochastic frontier production function, the decomposition components
were computed. The results showed that TFP decreased through time, while technical change was negative,
implying downward shift of the production frontier. As a major component, technical change was the main
constraint to the achievement of high levels of TFP during the study period. The scale effect, which is generally
bigger than technical change component shows that the sampled farms had not taken advantage of scale economies.
Furthermore, the allocative efficiency had an average magnitude closer to the scale effect and points towards
decreases in the efficiency with which production factors are allocated. This is an indication of a decline in
technical efficiency. We suggest reforms in the Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) geared towards
enhancing their capacity in extending novel technologies and innovations to farmers.