Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana

With the widespread growth of mobile phone coverage and adoption over the past decade, there has been considerable enthusiasm over the potential for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide a low-cost approach for farmers to overcome information constraints in agricultural initia...

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Autores principales: Hidrobo, Melissa, Palloni, Giordano, Aker, Jenny C., Gilligan, Daniel O., Ledlie, Natasha
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143487
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author Hidrobo, Melissa
Palloni, Giordano
Aker, Jenny C.
Gilligan, Daniel O.
Ledlie, Natasha
author_browse Aker, Jenny C.
Gilligan, Daniel O.
Hidrobo, Melissa
Ledlie, Natasha
Palloni, Giordano
author_facet Hidrobo, Melissa
Palloni, Giordano
Aker, Jenny C.
Gilligan, Daniel O.
Ledlie, Natasha
author_sort Hidrobo, Melissa
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description With the widespread growth of mobile phone coverage and adoption over the past decade, there has been considerable enthusiasm over the potential for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide a low-cost approach for farmers to overcome information constraints in agricultural initiatives. The commercial viability of ICTs relies on effective demand for these services. This paper assesses farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a digital platform that provides nutrition-sensitive agricultural information in Ghana. Using the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak method to elicit WTP, we randomly vary the framing of the marketing messages for the service, as well as the gender of the person targeted, to examine the effects of framing and respondent gender on demand. We find that farmers are highly price sensitive, but most are willing to pay a low monthly price for the service. A nutrition-focused marketing message leads to higher WTP than an agriculture only message, and women have substantially lower WTP than men, with the latter difference driven by lower WTP for the service among women who report access to alternative sources of nutrition, health, and agriculture information.
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spelling CGSpace1434872025-12-02T21:02:41Z Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana Hidrobo, Melissa Palloni, Giordano Aker, Jenny C. Gilligan, Daniel O. Ledlie, Natasha willingness to pay gender health farmers services information services modelling agriculture nutrition information and communication technologies information remuneration digital technology women With the widespread growth of mobile phone coverage and adoption over the past decade, there has been considerable enthusiasm over the potential for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide a low-cost approach for farmers to overcome information constraints in agricultural initiatives. The commercial viability of ICTs relies on effective demand for these services. This paper assesses farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a digital platform that provides nutrition-sensitive agricultural information in Ghana. Using the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak method to elicit WTP, we randomly vary the framing of the marketing messages for the service, as well as the gender of the person targeted, to examine the effects of framing and respondent gender on demand. We find that farmers are highly price sensitive, but most are willing to pay a low monthly price for the service. A nutrition-focused marketing message leads to higher WTP than an agriculture only message, and women have substantially lower WTP than men, with the latter difference driven by lower WTP for the service among women who report access to alternative sources of nutrition, health, and agriculture information. 2020-01-01 2024-05-22T12:14:28Z 2024-05-22T12:14:28Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143487 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134454 https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.277451 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Hidrobo, Melissa; Palloni, Giordano; Aker, Jenny C.; Gilligan, Daniel O.; and Ledlie, Natasha. 2020. Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1906. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133591.
spellingShingle willingness to pay
gender
health
farmers
services
information services
modelling
agriculture
nutrition
information and communication technologies
information
remuneration
digital technology
women
Hidrobo, Melissa
Palloni, Giordano
Aker, Jenny C.
Gilligan, Daniel O.
Ledlie, Natasha
Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana
title Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana
title_full Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana
title_fullStr Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana
title_short Paying for digital information: Assessing farmers’ willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in Ghana
title_sort paying for digital information assessing farmers willingness to pay for a digital agriculture and nutrition service in ghana
topic willingness to pay
gender
health
farmers
services
information services
modelling
agriculture
nutrition
information and communication technologies
information
remuneration
digital technology
women
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143487
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AT akerjennyc payingfordigitalinformationassessingfarmerswillingnesstopayforadigitalagricultureandnutritionserviceinghana
AT gilligandanielo payingfordigitalinformationassessingfarmerswillingnesstopayforadigitalagricultureandnutritionserviceinghana
AT ledlienatasha payingfordigitalinformationassessingfarmerswillingnesstopayforadigitalagricultureandnutritionserviceinghana