Seeing is Believing? Evidence from an Extension Network Experiment
Extension services are a keystone of information diffusion in agriculture. This paper exploits a large randomized controlled trial to track diffusion of a new technique in the classic Training and Visit (T&V) extension model, relative to a more...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank Group, Washington, DC
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/08/20028274/seeing-believing-evidence-extension-network-experiment http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19393 |
| Summary: | Extension services are a keystone of
information diffusion in agriculture. This paper exploits a
large randomized controlled trial to track diffusion of a
new technique in the classic Training and Visit (T&V)
extension model, relative to a more direct training model.
In both control and treatment communities, contact farmers
(CFs) serve as points-of-contacts between agents and other
farmers. The intervention (Treatment) aims to address two
pitfalls of the T&V model: i) infrequent extension agent
visits, and ii) poor quality information. Treatment CFs
receive a direct, centralized training. Control communities
are exposed to the classic T&V model. Information
diffusion was tracked through two nodes: from agents to CFs,
and from CFs to others. Directly training CFs leads to large
gains in information diffusion and adoption, and CFs learn
by doing. Diffusion to others is limited: other males adopt
the technique perceived as labor saving, with an effect size
of 75 percent. |
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