| Sumario: | This study aims to assess the causal impact of social media on smallholder farmers' knowledge and adoption of agricultural practices, comparing its effectiveness to traditional extension channels. It further identifies the mechanisms of this influence and the farmer profiles that benefit most, providing evidence for designing more efficient and scalable extension programs. A baseline survey was conducted and data collected from bean-growing farmers to establish the benchmarks of key outcome variables before the intervention. A baseline also provided insights into the context, and information used to select suitable varieties for dissemination and customize the information messages.
Methodology:This study used a cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) to compare how two different communication channels affect farmers' adoption of improved biofortified bean varieties. Sub counties were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms:
1. Social Media Extension: Farmers received informational videos via social media.
2. Traditional Extension: Farmers attended in-person training with a local agent.
3. Control Group.
The design used sub counties, the largest administrative units within a district, as clusters to create geographical barriers and minimize contamination between groups. The core informational content on bean benefits and seed sources was kept identical across all treatments to isolate the effect of the delivery channel—comparing digital outreach against in-person training. To prevent bias, the study was presented as a general evaluation of delivery methods.
District extension workers contacted Farmer Group (FG) representatives in the selected sub-counties to introduce the study. Interested groups provided consent and contact details, with the understanding that participation was voluntary and would not affect their eligibility for future programs. Research assistants then screened these interested groups for eligibility. For those that qualified, the assistants scheduled in-person meetings to collect baseline data directly from the group members.
|
|---|