Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services

This research was undertaken to understand how information about a new agricultural technology is transmitted through social networks, and what effect information gained through social networks has on technology demand at the household level. The technology in question is laser land leveling (LLL)-a...

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Autores principales: Magnan, Nicholas, Spielman, David J., Lybbert, Travis J., Gulati, Kajal
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2013
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153684
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author Magnan, Nicholas
Spielman, David J.
Lybbert, Travis J.
Gulati, Kajal
author_browse Gulati, Kajal
Lybbert, Travis J.
Magnan, Nicholas
Spielman, David J.
author_facet Magnan, Nicholas
Spielman, David J.
Lybbert, Travis J.
Gulati, Kajal
author_sort Magnan, Nicholas
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This research was undertaken to understand how information about a new agricultural technology is transmitted through social networks, and what effect information gained through social networks has on technology demand at the household level. The technology in question is laser land leveling (LLL)-a resource-conserving technology-which we introduced in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India as part of the study. Using an experimental auction, we obtain farmers’ willingness-to-pay for the technology and identify potential adopters. We then randomly select half of these farmers to actually receive LLL services on their land, creating random variation in the number of adopters in each farmer’s social network. We conduct a second auction one year later with the same sample of farmers and estimate network effects on farmers’ updated willingness-to-pay. Four main results emerge: First, exposure to LLL through networks occurs primarily through visits to adopting farmers’ fields. Second, having a first-generation adopter in a farmer’s network increases the farmer’s valuation of LLL by nearly 30 percent on average. Third, the network effects on demand are importantly conditioned on benefits associated with LLL, which implies that learning-rather than mimicry-is driving increases in demand. Fourth, network effects are strongest between poor farmers.
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spelling CGSpace1536842025-11-06T05:28:37Z Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services Magnan, Nicholas Spielman, David J. Lybbert, Travis J. Gulati, Kajal productivity lasers technology transfer social learning technology adoption experimental auctions This research was undertaken to understand how information about a new agricultural technology is transmitted through social networks, and what effect information gained through social networks has on technology demand at the household level. The technology in question is laser land leveling (LLL)-a resource-conserving technology-which we introduced in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India as part of the study. Using an experimental auction, we obtain farmers’ willingness-to-pay for the technology and identify potential adopters. We then randomly select half of these farmers to actually receive LLL services on their land, creating random variation in the number of adopters in each farmer’s social network. We conduct a second auction one year later with the same sample of farmers and estimate network effects on farmers’ updated willingness-to-pay. Four main results emerge: First, exposure to LLL through networks occurs primarily through visits to adopting farmers’ fields. Second, having a first-generation adopter in a farmer’s network increases the farmer’s valuation of LLL by nearly 30 percent on average. Third, the network effects on demand are importantly conditioned on benefits associated with LLL, which implies that learning-rather than mimicry-is driving increases in demand. Fourth, network effects are strongest between poor farmers. 2013 2024-10-01T13:57:09Z 2024-10-01T13:57:09Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153684 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Magnan, Nicholas; Spielman, David J.; Lybbert, Travis J. and Gulati, Kajal. 2013. Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1302. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153684
spellingShingle productivity
lasers
technology transfer
social learning
technology adoption
experimental auctions
Magnan, Nicholas
Spielman, David J.
Lybbert, Travis J.
Gulati, Kajal
Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services
title Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services
title_full Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services
title_fullStr Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services
title_full_unstemmed Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services
title_short Leveling with friends: Social networks and indian farmers’ demand for agricultural custom hire services
title_sort leveling with friends social networks and indian farmers demand for agricultural custom hire services
topic productivity
lasers
technology transfer
social learning
technology adoption
experimental auctions
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153684
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AT lybberttravisj levelingwithfriendssocialnetworksandindianfarmersdemandforagriculturalcustomhireservices
AT gulatikajal levelingwithfriendssocialnetworksandindianfarmersdemandforagriculturalcustomhireservices