Drivers of organic farming: Lab-in-the-field evidence of the role of social comparison and information nudge in networks in Vietnam

Kene Boun My (), Phu Nguyen-Van, Thi Kim Cuong Pham (), Anne Stenger, Tuyen Tiet and Nguyen To-The

Ecological Economics, 2022, vol. 196, issue C

Abstract: This study examines factors determining farmers’ investment in organic farming using a contextualized lab-in-the-field experiment with 220 small household farmers in Northern Vietnam. We focus on the role of network structure, information nudge, and social comparison between farmers using three types of networks: circle, star and complete. Our results suggest that, on average, around 64% of the land is invested in organic farming in the complete network in which each farmer is connected to all of the others, while only about 57% of the land is invested in the circle and star network. Moreover, social comparison (i.e., information about the average investment) performs better in a circle network than in a star network. Finally, information nudges about the socially optimal investment could encourage farmers’ coordination in all three networks, particularly in the complete network with an increase in organic investment up to 76%.

Keywords: Lab-in-the-field; Network; Nudge; Organic agriculture; Small household farmers; Social comparison (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 C93 O13 Q12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Drivers of organic farming: Lab-in-the-field evidence of the role of social comparison and information nudge in networks in Vietnam (2022)
Working Paper: Drivers of organic farming: Lab-in-the-field evidence of the role of social comparison and information nudge in networks in Vietnam (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:196:y:2022:i:c:s0921800922000635

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107401

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