21 Pages, Agricultural advisory services generally rely on interpersonal knowledge transfers by agricultural extension agents who visit farmers to provide information. This approach is not always effective and has proved hard to scale sustainably, particularly in highly dispersed smallholder farming systems. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been advanced as a promising way to overcome many of the problems associated with conventional agricultural extension. We evaluate the effectiveness of an ICT‐mediated approach to deliver agricultural information in a field experiment conducted among small‐scale maize farmers in eastern Uganda. Three complementary technologies designed to address both informational and behavioral constraints to technical change are considered. First, we investigate the effectiveness of audiovisual messages (video) as a means of delivering information on input use and improved maize management practices to farmers. Second, we quantify the additional impact of complementing video with an interactive voice response (IVR) service. Third, we estimate the incremental effect of time‐sensitive short message services (SMS) messages designed to remind farmers about applying key practices at specific points during the season. We find that households that were shown a short video on how to become better maize farmers were performing significantly better on a knowledge test, more likely to apply recommended practices, and more likely to use fertilizer than households that did not view the video. These same households also reported maize yields about 10.5% higher than those that did not view the video. We find little evidence of an incremental effect of the IVR service or SMS reminders.
Batte, Marvin T. (author), Botomogno, Jean (author), Jones, Eugene (author), Schnitkey, Gary (author), and Schnitkey, Batte, and Jones: Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Ohio State University; Botomogno: Department of Agricultural Economics, Dschang University Center, Cameroon
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1992-05
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 91 Document Number: C06520
James F. Evans Collection; AGRICOLA IND 92048494, Mathematical logic models were used to examine farmers' information preferences for marketing, production, and financial decisions. Dependent variables represented the preferred information source category: Cooperative Extension Service, printed, broadcast, specialist, and other sources. Independent variables included farm and business characteristics. In general, farmers preferred information from printed sources, and the Cooperative Extension Service ranked highly as an information source. Results did not support the contention that farmers are substituting specialist services for information received from the Cooperative Extension Service. (author)
Hudson, Michael A. (author), Sonka, Steven T. (author), Streeter, Deborah H. (author), and Streeter: Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, Cornell University; Sonka: Professor of Agricultural Management, University of Illinois; Hudson: Associate Professor, Bruce F. Failing, Sr., Chair of Personal Enterprise, Cornell University
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1991-12
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 89 Document Number: C06101
Gardner, B.D. (author / Department of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis.) and Department of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis.
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1985
Published:
USA: Ames, Iowa:American Agricultural Economics Association
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 54 Document Number: C01163
Binkley, Clark S. (author), Washburn, Courtland L. (author), and Washburn: Ph.D. candidate, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University; Binkley: Professor, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1990-05
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 79 Document Number: C04540
Dinar, Ariel (author), Voet, Hillary (author), Yaron, Daniel (author), and Yaron and Voet: Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel; Dinar: visiting researcher, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1992-05
Published:
Israel
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 91 Document Number: C06521
James F. Evans Collection, This paper analyzes factors that affect innovativeness on family farms under Arab social and institutional systems in the Nazareth region in the north of Israel. The adoption of five different innovations was studied and an "index of innovativeness" was constructed. Innovativeness was found to be affected positively by risk tolerance, extension, and water quota allotment and affected negatively by the farm's land area. The latter result supports the hypothesis that a small land area provides an incentive to adopt high-payoff, input-intensive innovations. Innovativeness is affected by extension but not necessarily by education. this result implies that farmers with elementary school education are capable of adopting complex technologies if proper extension services are provided. (author)
Walker, H.W. (author / Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) and Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1978
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 6 Document Number: B00742
Holt, John (author / Professor and Extension Management Economist, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida) and Professor and Extension Management Economist, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1989-11
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 80 Document Number: C04614
Schmitz, Andrew (author), Seckler, David (author), and Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Berkeley; Acting Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Berkeley
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1970-11
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 38 Document Number: B04229
Guilkey, David K. (author), Haines, Pamela S. (author), Popkin, Barry M. (author), and Haines, Popkin: Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina; Guilkey: Department of Economics, University of North Carolina
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1988
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 70 Document Number: C03036
Meilke, Karl D. (author), Moschini, Giancarlo (author), and Moschini: Assistant Professor of Economics, Iowa State University; Meilke: Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Guelph
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1989-05
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 75 Document Number: C03862
Schluter, Gerald E. (author), Southard, Leland W. (author), Weeks, Eldon E. (author), and Agricultural Economists, ERS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C.; Agricultural Economists, ERS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C.; Agricultural Economists, ERS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C.
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1974-12
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 38 Document Number: B04232
22 pages, This paper presents direct evidence on the impact of a specific extension program that is aimed at promoting the adoption of varieties resistant to the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), specifically the Iowa State University SCN-Resistant Soybean Variety Trials. We use two data sources: experimental data from these variety trials and a rich proprietary dataset on farmers’ seed purchases. Combining these data, we estimate the value of soybean cyst nematode-resistant variety availability, and the associated variety trials that provide information on their performance to farmers and seed companies. Given the scope and diffusion of this extension program, the focus of the analysis is on Iowa and northern Illinois over the period 2011–2016. Farmers’ seed choices are modeled in a discrete choice framework, specifically a one-level nested logit model. Using the estimated demand model, we find farmers’ marginal willingness to pay for soybean cyst nematode-resistant varieties, and for related extension information provided by the Iowa State University SCN-Resistant Soybean Variety Trials program, to be large. These results are confirmed by counterfactual analyses showing that, over the six-year period and region of the study, the total ex post welfare change associated with the existence of, and information about, SCN-resistant seeds is about $478 million. About one-third of this surplus is captured by seed suppliers, and two-thirds accrues to farmers.
