Khandker, Varsha (author) and Gandhi, Vasant P. (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2012-02
Published:
India
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 187 Document Number: D00954
Notes:
Paper presented at the 56th AARES (Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society) annual conference, Fremantle, Western Australia, February 7-10, 2012. 18 pages.
Peru, India: Finding Common Ground; ISSN 0920-8771; Summarized from Maria Lina, Danilio Gatchalian, Florencio Galapon Jr., 1998 Kalikasan-NE: a documentation and evaluation of experiences in sustainable agriculture. Internal report of the ILEIA Research Programme
Abstract via online journal. 2 pages., Technological innovation is vital to economic growth and food security in sub-Saharan Africa where agricultural productivity has been stagnant for a long time. Extension services and learning from peer farmers are two common approaches to facilitate the diffusion of new technologies, but little is known about their relative effectiveness. Selection bias, whereby well-motivated training participants would perform better even without extension services, as well as knowledge spillovers, where non-participants can indirectly benefit from extension services, are among the major threats to causal inference. Using a unique sequential randomized experiment on agricultural training, this study attempts to meet the dual objectives of executing rigorous impact evaluation of extension services and subsequent spillovers on rice production in Cote d’Ivoire. Specifically, to reduce selection bias, we randomly assigned eligibility for training participation; and to satisfy the stable unit treatment value assumption, control-group farmers were initially restricted from exchanging information with treated-group farmers who had received rice management training. Once some positive impacts were confirmed, information exchange between the treated and control farmers was encouraged. We found that the initial performance gaps created by the randomized assignment disappeared over time, due presumably to social learning from peer farmers. A detailed analysis concerning the information network and peer effects provided suggestive evidence that there were information and technology spillovers from treated to control farmers after removing the information exchange restriction. Overall, our study demonstrates that information dissemination by farmers can be as effective in improving practices as the initial training provided by extension services.
8 pages., via online journal., The paper introduces the pest belief model and Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action to analyze farmers’ decisions in stem borer management. Farmers spent an average of $39/ha (median $18) on insecticides believing that if they had not controlled an average loss of 1004 kg/ha or $402 (median 592, $237) would occur. Farmers’ estimates of the worst attack averaged 19 white heads/m2 (median10) with the associated average loss of 1038 kg/ha or $415 (median 592, $270), implying that farmers’ decisions were guided by the worst attacks. Perceived benefits from insecticides were directly related with farmers’ insecticide use and perceived severity. Perceived susceptibility was also high, with 59% of farmers believing that a loss of 450 kg/ha would be “extremely or very likely”. Farmers believed insecticides could destroy natural enemies but placed only moderate importance to conserving them. Health was believed to be very important but farmers had mixed beliefs that spraying could bring about poor health. This study also provides evidence suggesting high peer pressure on farmers’ spray decisions directly influencing perceived benefits from sprays, insecticide spending and spray frequency.
Examines the role of trust in shaping public knowledge about, risk perception of, and protective behaviours resulting from this product tampering incident in Xi'an, China.
Heong, K.L. (author / International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Banos, Philippines.)
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
1989
Published:
UK
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 92 Document Number: C06807
Notes:
AGRICOLA IND 91042711, In: Harris, K.M., ed. Crop protection information : an international perspective : proceedings of the International Crop Protection Information Workshop; held at CAB International, Wallingford, UK, April 1989. Wallingford, Oxon, UK : CAB International, 1989. p. 51-66.
