Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya

Classical innovation adoption models implicitly assume homogenous information flow across farmers, which is often not realistic. As a result, selection bias in adoption parameters may occur. We focus on tissue culture (TC) banana technology that was introduced in Kenya more than 10 years ago. Up til...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Kabunga, N., Dubois, T., Qaim, M.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2012
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/79823
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author Kabunga, N.
Dubois, T.
Qaim, M.
author_browse Dubois, T.
Kabunga, N.
Qaim, M.
author_facet Kabunga, N.
Dubois, T.
Qaim, M.
author_sort Kabunga, N.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Classical innovation adoption models implicitly assume homogenous information flow across farmers, which is often not realistic. As a result, selection bias in adoption parameters may occur. We focus on tissue culture (TC) banana technology that was introduced in Kenya more than 10 years ago. Up till now, adoption rates have remained relatively low.We employ the average treatment effects approach to account for selection bias and extend it by explicitly differentiating between awareness exposure (having heard of a technology) and knowledge exposure (understanding the attributes of a technology). Using a sample of Kenyan banana farmers, we find that estimated adoption parameters differ little when comparing the classical adoption model with one that corrects for heterogeneous awareness exposure. However, parameters differ considerably when accounting for heterogeneous knowledge exposure. This is plausible: while many farmers have heard about TC technology, its successful use requires notable changes in cultivation practices, and proper understanding is not yet very widespread. These results are also important for other technologies that are knowledge-intensive and require considerable adjustments in traditional practices.
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spelling CGSpace798232025-01-27T15:00:52Z Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya Kabunga, N. Dubois, T. Qaim, M. technology adoption adoption gap biotechnology average treatment effects heterogeneous knowledge exposure Classical innovation adoption models implicitly assume homogenous information flow across farmers, which is often not realistic. As a result, selection bias in adoption parameters may occur. We focus on tissue culture (TC) banana technology that was introduced in Kenya more than 10 years ago. Up till now, adoption rates have remained relatively low.We employ the average treatment effects approach to account for selection bias and extend it by explicitly differentiating between awareness exposure (having heard of a technology) and knowledge exposure (understanding the attributes of a technology). Using a sample of Kenyan banana farmers, we find that estimated adoption parameters differ little when comparing the classical adoption model with one that corrects for heterogeneous awareness exposure. However, parameters differ considerably when accounting for heterogeneous knowledge exposure. This is plausible: while many farmers have heard about TC technology, its successful use requires notable changes in cultivation practices, and proper understanding is not yet very widespread. These results are also important for other technologies that are knowledge-intensive and require considerable adjustments in traditional practices. 2012-09 2017-02-13T13:41:33Z 2017-02-13T13:41:33Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/79823 en Limited Access Wiley Kabunga, N., Dubois, T. & Qaim, M. (2012). Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya. Agricultural Economics, 43(5), 473-486.
spellingShingle technology adoption
adoption gap
biotechnology
average treatment effects
heterogeneous knowledge exposure
Kabunga, N.
Dubois, T.
Qaim, M.
Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya
title Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya
title_full Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya
title_fullStr Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya
title_short Heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption: the case of tissue culture bananas in Kenya
title_sort heterogeneous information exposure and technology adoption the case of tissue culture bananas in kenya
topic technology adoption
adoption gap
biotechnology
average treatment effects
heterogeneous knowledge exposure
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/79823
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