IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/aaea16/235475.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Learning about Integrated Soil Fertility Practices: Evidence from a RCT in Malawi

Author

Listed:
  • Maertens, Annemie
  • Michelson, Hope

Abstract

We combine panel survey data with a randomized controlled trial conducted among 250 villages in Malawi to test the effectiveness of a standard agricultural extension service. The two main tools of the service are a mid-season farmer field day and farmer club managed demonstration plots. We find that farmers in villages who were invited to attend the farmer field days display an increased knowledge of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices and a higher probability of adoption (plans), with the majority of the effects concentrated among non-attendees. However, when combined with in-village demonstration plots, farmers who participate in the demonstration plots display a higher knowledge of what we refer to as “detailed” production knowledge, such as types of inputs, quantity of inputs, and increased likelihood of planning to adopt these.

Suggested Citation

  • Maertens, Annemie & Michelson, Hope, 2016. "Learning about Integrated Soil Fertility Practices: Evidence from a RCT in Malawi," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235475, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea16:235475
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.235475
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/235475/files/Maertens%20and%20Michelson%20AAEA%20Meetings%20Boston%202016.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.235475?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Besley, T. & Case, A., 1994. "Diffusion as a Learning Process: Evidence from HYV Cotton," Papers 174, Princeton, Woodrow Wilson School - Development Studies.
    2. Christine M. Moser & Christopher B. Barrett, 2006. "The complex dynamics of smallholder technology adoption: the case of SRI in Madagascar," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 35(3), pages 373-388, November.
    3. Lisa A. Cameron, 1999. "The Importance of Learning in the Adoption of High-Yielding Variety Seeds," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(1), pages 83-94.
    4. repec:pri:rpdevs:besley_case_diffusion is not listed on IDEAS
    5. repec:pri:rpdevs:besley_case_diffusion.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Christopher B. Barrett & Christine M. Moser & Oloro V. McHugh & Joeli Barison, 2004. "Better Technology, Better Plots, or Better Farmers? Identifying Changes in Productivity and Risk among Malagasy Rice Farmers," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(4), pages 869-888.
    2. Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O. & Winter-Nelson, Alex, 2009. "Poverty status and the impact of social networks on smallholder technology adoption in rural Ethiopia," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49357, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Khushbu Mishra & Abdoul G. Sam & Gracious M. Diiro & Mario J. Miranda, 2020. "Gender and the dynamics of technology adoption: Empirical evidence from a household‐level panel data," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(6), pages 857-870, November.
    4. Marenya, Paswel Phiri & Smith, Vincent H. & Nkonya, Ephraim M., 2012. "Subsistence farmer preferences for alternative incentive policies to encourage the adoption of conservation agriculture in Malawi: A choice elicitation approach," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124010, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Saule Burkitbayeva & Emma Janssen & Johan Swinnen, 2019. "Technology Adoption and Value Chains in Developing Countries: Panel Evidence from Dairy in Punjab," LICOS Discussion Papers 41019, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
    6. Ma, Xingliang & Shi, Guanming, 2011. "A Dynamic Adoption Model with Bayesian Learning: Application to the U.S. Soybean Market," 2011 Annual Meeting, July 24-26, 2011, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 104577, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Saule Burkitbayeva & Emma Janssen & Johan Swinnen, 2020. "Technology Adoption, Vertical Coordination in Value Chains, and FDI in Developing Countries: Panel Evidence from the Dairy Sector in India (Punjab)," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 57(2), pages 433-479, September.
    8. Janssen, Emma & Swinnen, Johan, 2019. "Technology adoption and value chains in developing countries: Evidence from dairy in India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 327-336.
    9. Phu Nguyen-Van & Cyrielle Poiraud & Nguyen To-The, 2017. "Modeling farmers’ decisions on tea varieties in Vietnam: a multinomial logit analysis," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 48(3), pages 291-299, May.
    10. Ihli, Hanna Julia & Musshoff, Oliver, 2013. "Understanding the Investment Behavior of Ugandan Smallholder Farmers: An Experimental Analysis," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150331, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Kijima, Yoko & Otsuka, Keijiro & Sserunkuuma, Dick, 2011. "An Inquiry into Constraints on a Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of NERICA Rice in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 77-86, January.
    12. Julián Aramburu & Mario González & Lina Salazar & Paul Winters, 2014. "When a Short-term Analysis is not a Short-term Approach: Impacts of Agricultural Technology Adoption in Bolivia," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 86815, Inter-American Development Bank.
    13. Aramburu, Julián & González, Mario & Salazar, Lina & Winters, Paul, 2014. "When a Short-term Analysis is not a Short-term Approach: Impacts of Agricultural Technology Adoption in Bolivia," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 6676, Inter-American Development Bank.
    14. Ihli, Hanna Julia & Musshoff, Oliver, 2013. "Investment Behavior of Ugandan Smallholder Farmers: An Experimental Analysis," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 154775, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    15. Abebe, Gumataw K. & Bijman, Jos & Pascucci, Stefano & Omta, Onno, 2013. "Adoption of improved potato varieties in Ethiopia: The role of agricultural knowledge and innovation system and smallholder farmers’ quality assessment," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 22-32.
    16. Pham, Huong-Giang & Chuah, Swee-Hoon & Feeny, Simon, 2021. "Factors affecting the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices: Findings from panel data for Vietnam," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    17. Xingliang Ma & Guanming Shi, 2015. "A dynamic adoption model with Bayesian learning: an application to U.S. soybean farmers," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(1), pages 25-38, January.
    18. Marenya, Paswel P. & Barrett, Christopher B., 2007. "Household-level determinants of adoption of improved natural resources management practices among smallholder farmers in western Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 515-536, August.
    19. Evelyne Valentine Setoun Sissinto-Gbenou & Ygue Patrice Adegbola & Segla Roch Cedrique Zossou & Baudelaire Yannick Fabius Kouton-Bognon & Gauthier Biaou, 2022. "Adoption and disadoption of the improved clay granary for maize storage: evidence from the northern and central regions of Benin," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(6), pages 1459-1474, December.
    20. Fishman, Arthur & Fishman, Ram & Gneezy, Uri, 2019. "A tale of two food stands: Observational learning in the field," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 101-108.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Farm Management; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ags:aaea16:235475. 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: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aaeaaea.html .

    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.