IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wodepe/v13y2019icp25-33.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effectiveness of mobile agri-advisory service extension model: Evidence from Direct2Farm program in India

Author

Listed:
  • Kansiime, Monica K.
  • Alawy, Abdillahi
  • Allen, Catherine
  • Subharwal, Manish
  • Jadhav, Arun
  • Parr, Martin

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of mobile as a novel approach for providing targeted and equitable agri-advisory services to farmers at scale. A cross-sectional survey of farmers registered on CABI's Direct2Farm (D2F) user database was undertaken using a combination of telephone interviews, household survey and focus group discussions covering six states in India. Results indicate that majority of farmers receive information from various sources, notably fellow farmers (73%) and government extension (58%). Mobile service was ranked 5th as a source of information out of seven identified. Nonetheless, there was evidence that CABI-D2F mobile services reached a large number of farmers in a short time compared to what could be achieved by traditional extension approaches, and the services significantly influenced farmers to take up new agricultural practices (p < 0.01). At least 40% of the initial 400,000 registered farmers became active users of the service, regarding it as a valuable and credible source of agricultural information. Small-scale farmers, women, and elderly people were less likely to use mobile service with preference for traditional extension approaches. This digital divide may be attributed to low literacy levels, and/or ownership or control of mobile phones. Results raise two issues; firstly how mobile services can be designed to best fit differences in gender and social realities; and secondly, how mobile services can be effectively monitored to ensure messages are being received by targeted users.

Suggested Citation

  • Kansiime, Monica K. & Alawy, Abdillahi & Allen, Catherine & Subharwal, Manish & Jadhav, Arun & Parr, Martin, 2019. "Effectiveness of mobile agri-advisory service extension model: Evidence from Direct2Farm program in India," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 13(C), pages 25-33.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:13:y:2019:i:c:p:25-33
    DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2019.02.007
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292917300711
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.wdp.2019.02.007?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefan Dercon & Daniel O. Gilligan & John Hoddinott & Tassew Woldehanna, 2009. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension and Roads on Poverty and Consumption Growth in Fifteen Ethiopian Villages," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(4), pages 1007-1021.
    2. James J. Heckman, 1976. "The Common Structure of Statistical Models of Truncation, Sample Selection and Limited Dependent Variables and a Simple Estimator for Such Models," NBER Chapters, in: Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, Volume 5, number 4, pages 475-492, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Birkhaeuser, Dean & Evenson, Robert E & Feder, Gershon, 1991. "The Economic Impact of Agricultural Extension: A Review," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(3), pages 607-650, April.
    4. Akter, Shaheen & Fu, Xiaolan, 2012. "Impact of Mobile Telephone on the Quality and Speed of Agricultural Extension Services Delivery: Evidence from the Rural India," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126798, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Alston, Julian M. & Marra, Michele C. & Pardey, Philip G. & Wyatt, T.J., 2000. "Research returns redux: a meta-analysis of the returns to agricultural R&D," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 44(2), pages 1-31.
    6. Jacob Ricker-Gilbert & George W. Norton & Jeffrey Alwang & Monayem Miah & Gershon Feder, 2008. "Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Integrated Pest Management Extension Methods: An Example from Bangladesh," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 30(2), pages 252-269.
    7. Kaliba, Aloyce R. & Verkuijl, Hugo & Mwangi, Wilfred, 2000. "Factors Affecting Adoption Of Improved Maize Seeds And Use Of Inorganic Fertilizer For Maize Production In The Intermediate And Lowland Zones Of Tanzania," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 32(1), pages 1-13, April.
    8. Glendenning, Claire J. & Babu, Suresh & Asenso-Okyere, Kwadwo, 2010. "Review of agricultural extension in India: Are farmers' information needs being met?," IFPRI discussion papers 1048, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Praneetvatakul, Suwanna & Waibel, Hermann, 2006. "Impact Assessment of Farmer Field School Using A Multi-Period Panel Data Model," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25499, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. World Bank, 2010. "Gender and Governance in Rural Services : Insights from India, Ghana, and Ethiopia," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2410, December.
    11. Cole, Shawn A. & Fernando, A. Nilesh, 2013. "The Value of Advice: Evidence from Mobile Phone-Based Agricultural Extension," 2013 Fourth International Conference, September 22-25, 2013, Hammamet, Tunisia 160520, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    12. Kaliba, Aloyce R.M. & Verkuijl, Hugo & Mwangi, Wilfred, 2000. "Factors Affecting Adoption of Improved Maize Seeds and Use of Inorganic Fertilizer for Maize Production in the Intermediate and Lowland Zones of Tanzania," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 32(1), pages 35-47, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2021. "Mobile phones, leadership and gender in rural business groups," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 24(C).
    2. Mwambi, Mercy & Depenbusch, Lutz & Bonnarith, Uon & Sotelo-Cardona, Paola & Kieu, Khemrin & di Tada, Nicolas & Srinivasan, Ramasamy & Schreinemachers, Pepijn, 2023. "Can phone text messages promote the use of integrated pest management? A study of vegetable farmers in Cambodia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    3. Elizabeth Ahikiriza & Joshua Wesana & Xavier Gellynck & Guido Van Huylenbroeck & Ludwig Lauwers, 2021. "Context Specificity and Time Dependency in Classifying Sub-Saharan Africa Dairy Cattle Farmers for Targeted Extension Farm Advice: The Case of Uganda," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Balezentis, Tomas & Morkunas, Mangirdas & Volkov, Artiom & Ribasauskiene, Erika & Streimikiene, Dalia, 2021. "Are women neglected in the EU agriculture? Evidence from Lithuanian young farmers," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    5. Xiaoli Wu & Yaoyao Qin & Qizhuo Xie & Yunyi Zhang, 2022. "The Mediating and Moderating Effects of the Digital Economy on PM 2.5 : Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-17, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ram Fishman & Stephen C. Smith & Vida Bobic & Munshi Sulaiman, 2022. "Can Agricultural Extension and Input Support Be Discontinued? Evidence from a Randomized Phaseout in Uganda," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(6), pages 1273-1288, November.
    2. Niu, Chiyu & Ragasa, Catherine, 2018. "Selective attention and information loss in the lab-to-farm knowledge chain: The case of Malawian agricultural extension programs," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 147-163.
    3. Kaguongo, Wachira & Ortmann, Gerald F. & Wale, Edilegnaw & Darroch, Mark A.G. & Low, Jan W., 2010. "Factors influencing adoption and intensity of adoption of orange flesh sweetpotato varieties: evidence from an extension intervention in Nyanza and Western province, Kenya," 2010 AAAE Third Conference/AEASA 48th Conference, September 19-23, 2010, Cape Town, South Africa 96805, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    4. Cook, Aaron M. & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob E. & Sesmero, Juan P., 2013. "How do African households adapt to climate change? Evidence from Malawi," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150507, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Myat Thida Win & Mywish K. Maredia & Duncan Boughton, 2023. "Farmer demand for certified legume seeds and the viability of farmer seed enterprises: Evidence from Myanmar," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 555-569, April.
    6. Govil, Richa & Rana, Garima, 2017. "Demand for Agricultural Information among Women Farmers: A Survey from Karnataka, India," Review of Agrarian Studies, Foundation for Agrarian Studies, vol. 7(1), July.
    7. Subert, Moses Peter, 2017. "Perceptions Of Enhanced Freshness Formulation Technologies And Adoption Decisions Among Smallholder Banana Farmers In Morogoro, Tanzania," Research Theses 276437, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    8. Davis, K. & Nkonya, E. & Kato, E. & Mekonnen, D.A. & Odendo, M. & Miiro, R. & Nkuba, J., 2012. "Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Agricultural Productivity and Poverty in East Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 402-413.
    9. Michelson, Hope & Fairbairn, Anna & Ellison, Brenna & Maertens, Annemie & Manyong, Victor, 2021. "Misperceived quality: Fertilizer in Tanzania," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    10. Korir, Josphat Kiplang'at, 2016. "Factors Influencing Intensity Of Adoption Of Integrated Pest Management Package And Pesticide Misuse In The Control Of Mango Fruit Fly In Embu East Sub-County, Kenya," Research Theses 276445, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    11. Jan Lietava & Risa Morimoto, 2019. "Regression tree analysis of soil fertility and agro-economic practices and the effects on yield in Tanzania," Working Papers 218, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, UK.
    12. Jonathan Isham, 2002. "The Effect of Social Capital on Fertiliser Adoption: Evidence from Rural Tanzania," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 11(1), pages 39-60, March.
    13. Fahad, Shah & Wang, Jing & Hu, Guangyin & Wang, Hui & Yang, Xiaoying & Shah, Ashfaq Ahmad & Huong, Nguyen Thi Lan & Bilal, Arshad, 2018. "Empirical analysis of factors influencing farmers crop insurance decisions in Pakistan: Evidence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 459-467.
    14. Eduardo Nakasone & Maximo Torero, 2016. "A text message away: ICTs as a tool to improve food security," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 49-59, November.
    15. Muluken Gezahegn Wordofa & Maria Sassi, 2017. "Impact of Farmers’ Training Centres on Household Income: Evidence from Propensity Score Matching in Eastern Ethiopia," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-12, December.
    16. van Rijn, Fédes & Bulte, Erwin & Adekunle, Adewale, 2012. "Social capital and agricultural innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 112-122.
    17. Acheampong, Patricia & Owusu, Victor, 2015. "Impact of Improved cassava varieties' adoption on farmers' incomes in Rural Ghana," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 210875, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Yorobe Jr., J.M. & Rejesus, R.M. & Hammig, M.D., 2011. "Insecticide use impacts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Farmer Field Schools: Evidence from onion farmers in the Philippines," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(7), pages 580-587, September.
    19. Dominik Naeher & Matthias Schündeln, 2022. "The Demand for Advice: Theory and Empirical Evidence from Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 36(1), pages 91-113.
    20. Christiaensen, Luc & Premand, Patrick, 2017. "Cote d'Ivoire Jobs Diagnostic : Employment, Productivity, and Inclusion for Poverty Reduction," Jobs Group Papers, Notes, and Guides 27367968, The World Bank.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:13:y:2019:i:c:p:25-33. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/world-development-perspectives .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.