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Abstract
This paper evaluates how efficiently farm households allocate labor between farm and off-farm activities. It estimates farm and off-farm labor supply functions to determine the factors
that influence labor allocation. Both the shadow wage and the off-farm wage rate are included
as regressors in the supply functions. The study reveals that, on average, farm households are
inefficient, but when linked to labor markets their productivity and internal efficiency
increase. The decision to sell labor is influenced by location, and off-farm employment is
difficult to find, particularly for the better educated. Interventions should aim to increase
opportunities for off-farm employment for persons with skills or with higher than the basic
level of education, and to reduce the cost of participating in labor markets, for example by
improving rural infrastructure. Addressing failures in rural financial markets would save poor
households from having to sell their labor for less than they get from their farms.