Work

Site-specific agronomic information and technology adoption: A field experiment from Ethiopia

Year: 2021

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: Smallholder farmers in Africa typically only have access to blanket fertilizer recommendations which are defined over very broad areas and may not be optimal for local production conditions. The response to such recommendations has generally been poor. Using a randomized control trial in Ethiopia, we explore whether targeted extension advice leads farmers to align fertilizer usage to the recommended levels and whether this impacts productivity. We also consider whether coupling the targeted information with agricultural insurance encourages fertilizer investment. Results show that targeted recommendations closed the gap between the amount of fertilizer used and the recommended amounts and this in turn increased productivity and profits. We found no differential effect of the targeted recommendation when coupled with agricultural insurance, suggesting that the risk of crop failure is not a binding constraint to fertilizer adoption in this context, or that farmers do not consider agricultural insurance a useful risk-mitigating mechanism.

Source: Journal of Development Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102788

Authors: Hailemariam Ayalew, Jordan Chamberlin, Carol Newman

Institutions: University of Oxford, Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz Y Trigo, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Trinity College Dublin

Language: English

Topic: Agricultural Innovations and Practices

Subfield: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Zero hunger, No poverty

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,889