Work

Neighbors and Extension Agents in Ethiopia: Who Matters More for Technology Adoption?

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: The increased adoption of fertilizer and improved seeds are two key aspects to raising the level of land productivity in Ethiopian agriculture. However, the adoption and diffusion of such technologies has been slow. We use data from Ethiopia between 1999–2009 to examine the role of learning from extension agents versus learning from neighbors for both improved seeds and fertilizer adoption. We combine farmers' spatial networks with panel data to identify these influences, and find that while the initial impact of extension agents was high, the effect wore off after some time, in contrast to learning from neighbors.

Source: American Journal of Agricultural Economics

DOI: 10.1093/ajae/aat017

Authors: Pramila Krishnan, Manasa Patnam

Institutions: University of Cambridge, Ethiopian Development Research Institute, Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique

Language: English

Topic: Agricultural Innovations and Practices

Subfield: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: green

Funder: International Growth Centre