Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania

Initiatives on the sustainable intensification of agriculture have introduced improved technologies tailored to farmers’ local conditions by trial demonstration with free provision of improved seeds and fertilizers. It is not clear, though, whether smallholder farmers would be willing to pay for the...

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Main Authors: Shee, Apurba, Azzarri, Carlo, Haile, Beliyou
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: MDPI 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113064
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author Shee, Apurba
Azzarri, Carlo
Haile, Beliyou
author_browse Azzarri, Carlo
Haile, Beliyou
Shee, Apurba
author_facet Shee, Apurba
Azzarri, Carlo
Haile, Beliyou
author_sort Shee, Apurba
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Initiatives on the sustainable intensification of agriculture have introduced improved technologies tailored to farmers’ local conditions by trial demonstration with free provision of improved seeds and fertilizers. It is not clear, though, whether smallholder farmers would be willing to pay for these technologies, and what factors determine their informed demand. Using a contingent valuation experiment, combined with information at baseline among 400 households in Northern Tanzania, this study measured farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for hybrid maize seed and local inorganic fertilizer. Farmers’ WTP was estimated using a dichotomous contingent valuation with follow-up model. Results showed that the average WTP was 61% higher for hybrid maize seed, and 15% lower for inorganic fertilizer, than their respective average local market prices during the reference period, suggesting that farmers were willing to pay a premium for hybrid maize seed, while they did not seem to be interested in fertilizer purchase at current market price. Moreover, since improved access to extension services was found to positively affect farmers’ WTP, strengthening extension services could be a suitable policy intervention to increase farmers’ demand for improved technologies. On the other hand, farmers’ risk aversion was negatively correlated with WTP for both technologies. This result suggests that encouraging risk reduction options, such as agricultural insurance, could be a useful policy strategy for boosting farmers’ demand for improved agricultural technologies.
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spelling CGSpace1130642025-08-15T13:21:46Z Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania Shee, Apurba Azzarri, Carlo Haile, Beliyou risk reduction risk management contingent valuation willingness to pay seed fertilizers agricultural extension farmers technology innovation systems agriculture sustainable intensification intensification fertilizer technology farming systems seed technology Initiatives on the sustainable intensification of agriculture have introduced improved technologies tailored to farmers’ local conditions by trial demonstration with free provision of improved seeds and fertilizers. It is not clear, though, whether smallholder farmers would be willing to pay for these technologies, and what factors determine their informed demand. Using a contingent valuation experiment, combined with information at baseline among 400 households in Northern Tanzania, this study measured farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for hybrid maize seed and local inorganic fertilizer. Farmers’ WTP was estimated using a dichotomous contingent valuation with follow-up model. Results showed that the average WTP was 61% higher for hybrid maize seed, and 15% lower for inorganic fertilizer, than their respective average local market prices during the reference period, suggesting that farmers were willing to pay a premium for hybrid maize seed, while they did not seem to be interested in fertilizer purchase at current market price. Moreover, since improved access to extension services was found to positively affect farmers’ WTP, strengthening extension services could be a suitable policy intervention to increase farmers’ demand for improved technologies. On the other hand, farmers’ risk aversion was negatively correlated with WTP for both technologies. This result suggests that encouraging risk reduction options, such as agricultural insurance, could be a useful policy strategy for boosting farmers’ demand for improved agricultural technologies. 2020-01-01 2021-03-22T14:23:01Z 2021-03-22T14:23:01Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113064 en https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbab054 Open Access MDPI Shee, A., Azzarri, C. and Haile, B. 2020. Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania. Sustainability 12(1):216.
spellingShingle risk reduction
risk management
contingent valuation
willingness to pay
seed
fertilizers
agricultural extension
farmers
technology
innovation systems
agriculture
sustainable intensification
intensification
fertilizer technology
farming systems
seed technology
Shee, Apurba
Azzarri, Carlo
Haile, Beliyou
Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania
title Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania
title_full Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania
title_fullStr Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania
title_short Farmers’ willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies: Evidence from a field experiment in Tanzania
title_sort farmers willingness to pay for improved agricultural technologies evidence from a field experiment in tanzania
topic risk reduction
risk management
contingent valuation
willingness to pay
seed
fertilizers
agricultural extension
farmers
technology
innovation systems
agriculture
sustainable intensification
intensification
fertilizer technology
farming systems
seed technology
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113064
work_keys_str_mv AT sheeapurba farmerswillingnesstopayforimprovedagriculturaltechnologiesevidencefromafieldexperimentintanzania
AT azzarricarlo farmerswillingnesstopayforimprovedagriculturaltechnologiesevidencefromafieldexperimentintanzania
AT hailebeliyou farmerswillingnesstopayforimprovedagriculturaltechnologiesevidencefromafieldexperimentintanzania