Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar
Agricultural extension can have important impacts on vulnerable populations by increasing food production, which improves both rural incomes and urban food security. Yet, crises induced by violent conflict or disease outbreaks can severe the connections between extension agents and farmers. Understa...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Conference Paper |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Agricultural and Applied Economics Association
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140034 |
| _version_ | 1855515731814252544 |
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| author | Goeb, Joseph Maredia, Mywish K. Herrington, Caitlin Zu, A Myint |
| author_browse | Goeb, Joseph Herrington, Caitlin Maredia, Mywish K. Zu, A Myint |
| author_facet | Goeb, Joseph Maredia, Mywish K. Herrington, Caitlin Zu, A Myint |
| author_sort | Goeb, Joseph |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Agricultural extension can have important impacts on vulnerable populations by increasing food production, which improves both rural incomes and urban food security. Yet, crises induced by violent conflict or disease outbreaks can severe the connections between extension agents and farmers. Understanding how agricultural extension systems can safely and effectively reach farmers in times of crisis could help stabilize agri-food systems in fragile states. In the context of COVID-19, a military coup, and an emergent threat of fall armyworm in Myanmar, this paper uses a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of two cellphone-based extension interventions – a direct-to-farmer and a lead-farmer intervention – for fall armyworm control in maize. Despite low compliance, both interventions caused knowledge improvements. However, damage control estimates show that the lead-farmer group used pesticides most effectively. Similar cellphone-based lead-farmer programs could be an effective tool in fragile states and when faced with emergent threats to agriculture. |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | CGSpace140034 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Agricultural and Applied Economics Association |
| publisherStr | Agricultural and Applied Economics Association |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1400342024-10-25T07:53:38Z Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar Goeb, Joseph Maredia, Mywish K. Herrington, Caitlin Zu, A Myint urban population food production agricultural extension rural finance coronavirus covid-19 farmers technology fall armyworms maize coronavirinae agrifood systems pesticides food security conflicts coronavirus disease Agricultural extension can have important impacts on vulnerable populations by increasing food production, which improves both rural incomes and urban food security. Yet, crises induced by violent conflict or disease outbreaks can severe the connections between extension agents and farmers. Understanding how agricultural extension systems can safely and effectively reach farmers in times of crisis could help stabilize agri-food systems in fragile states. In the context of COVID-19, a military coup, and an emergent threat of fall armyworm in Myanmar, this paper uses a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of two cellphone-based extension interventions – a direct-to-farmer and a lead-farmer intervention – for fall armyworm control in maize. Despite low compliance, both interventions caused knowledge improvements. However, damage control estimates show that the lead-farmer group used pesticides most effectively. Similar cellphone-based lead-farmer programs could be an effective tool in fragile states and when faced with emergent threats to agriculture. 2023-06-25 2024-03-14T12:08:50Z 2024-03-14T12:08:50Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140034 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136713 Open Access Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Goeb, Joseph; Maredia, Mywish; Herrington, Caitlin; and Zu, A Myint. 2023. Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar. Presented at the 2023 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Washington DC on July 23-25, 2023. https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/335823 |
| spellingShingle | urban population food production agricultural extension rural finance coronavirus covid-19 farmers technology fall armyworms maize coronavirinae agrifood systems pesticides food security conflicts coronavirus disease Goeb, Joseph Maredia, Mywish K. Herrington, Caitlin Zu, A Myint Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar |
| title | Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar |
| title_full | Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar |
| title_short | Effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis: Experimental evidence from Myanmar |
| title_sort | effectiveness of a remote agricultural extension program in times of crisis experimental evidence from myanmar |
| topic | urban population food production agricultural extension rural finance coronavirus covid-19 farmers technology fall armyworms maize coronavirinae agrifood systems pesticides food security conflicts coronavirus disease |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140034 |
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