Seeking the treated: The impact of mobile extension on farmer information exchange in India

A. Nilesh Fernando

Journal of Development Economics, 2021, vol. 153, issue C

Abstract: Do digital agricultural services ‘disrupt’ in-person peer interactions that generate and spread local knowledge? To investigate, I randomize access to a mobile phone-based agricultural extension service and find that while it reduces reliance on peer agricultural advice, it does not crowd-out peer interactions. Instead, treated farmers are more likely to recommend inputs to their peers, who, in turn, prioritize interacting with them. Consequently, exposure to the treatment, directly or via peers, increases willingness-to-pay for the service. Overall, evidence on complementarities between treated respondents suggest ICT-based services may encourage peer interactions and information exchange at scale.

Keywords: Social interactions; Peer effects; Information exchange; Agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 O13 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:153:y:2021:i:c:s0304387821000870

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102713

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