Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya
Crowdsourcing initiatives that engage a large group of individuals (the crowd) to perform micro-tasks using information and communication technologies are increasingly utilized for real-time monitoring of shocks and providing advisories to smallholder farmers and livestock keepers. We conducted a ra...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Elsevier
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176304 |
| _version_ | 1855534550028910592 |
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| author | Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Lepariyo, Watson Saewua Baraza, Meshack Ochenje, Ibrahim |
| author_browse | Baraza, Meshack Lepariyo, Watson Saewua Ochenje, Ibrahim Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia |
| author_facet | Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Lepariyo, Watson Saewua Baraza, Meshack Ochenje, Ibrahim |
| author_sort | Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Crowdsourcing initiatives that engage a large group of individuals (the crowd) to perform micro-tasks using information and communication technologies are increasingly utilized for real-time monitoring of shocks and providing advisories to smallholder farmers and livestock keepers. We conducted a randomized control trial (RCT) in northern Kenya to evaluate KAZNET, which is a crowdsourcing initiative for collecting and disseminating near-real-time information about livestock markets, vegetation conditions, and household food security in the drylands of East Africa. The RCT randomly assigned 178 villages to either the treatment arm (exposure to the KAZNET initiative) or the control arm (no KAZNET). We found that the KAZNET initiative improved access to information, increased the adoption of livestock management practices and use of inputs (livestock medicine and insurance), and shaped decisions about the choice of markets for selling livestock. Further, the KAZNET initiative increased livestock income. Together, these findings suggest that efforts and investments to scale agricultural information crowdsourcing initiatives will yield potentially beneficial impacts. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace176304 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1763042025-12-11T13:59:29Z Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Lepariyo, Watson Saewua Baraza, Meshack Ochenje, Ibrahim drylands pastoralism Crowdsourcing initiatives that engage a large group of individuals (the crowd) to perform micro-tasks using information and communication technologies are increasingly utilized for real-time monitoring of shocks and providing advisories to smallholder farmers and livestock keepers. We conducted a randomized control trial (RCT) in northern Kenya to evaluate KAZNET, which is a crowdsourcing initiative for collecting and disseminating near-real-time information about livestock markets, vegetation conditions, and household food security in the drylands of East Africa. The RCT randomly assigned 178 villages to either the treatment arm (exposure to the KAZNET initiative) or the control arm (no KAZNET). We found that the KAZNET initiative improved access to information, increased the adoption of livestock management practices and use of inputs (livestock medicine and insurance), and shaped decisions about the choice of markets for selling livestock. Further, the KAZNET initiative increased livestock income. Together, these findings suggest that efforts and investments to scale agricultural information crowdsourcing initiatives will yield potentially beneficial impacts. 2025-08 2025-09-02T12:34:13Z 2025-09-02T12:34:13Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176304 en Open Access Elsevier Shikuku, K.M., Lepariyo, W.S., Obonyo, M.B. and Ochenje, I. 2025. Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya. Food Policy 135:102935. |
| spellingShingle | drylands pastoralism Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Lepariyo, Watson Saewua Baraza, Meshack Ochenje, Ibrahim Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya |
| title | Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya |
| title_full | Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya |
| title_short | Crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information: Experimental evidence from livestock keepers in Kenya |
| title_sort | crowdsourcing initiatives and the diffusion of information experimental evidence from livestock keepers in kenya |
| topic | drylands pastoralism |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176304 |
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