Agricultural extension messages using video on portable devices increase knowledge about seed selection, storage and handling among smallholder potato farmers in southwestern Uganda
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Public Library of Science
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To feed a growing population, agricultural productivity needs to increase dramatically. Agricultural extension information, with its public, non-rival nature, is generally undersupplied, and public provision remains challenging. In this study, simple agricultural extension video messages, delivered through Android tablets, were tested in the field to determine if they increased farmers’ knowledge of recommended practices on (i) potato seed selection and (ii) seed storage and handling among a sample of potato farmers in southwestern Uganda. Using a field experiment with ex ante matching in a factorial design, it was established that showing agricultural extension videos significantly increased farmers’ knowledge. However, results suggested impact pathways that went beyond simply replicating what was shown in the video. Video messages may have triggered a process of abstraction, whereby farmers applied insights gained in one context to a different context.
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agricultural extension, agricultural productivity, smallholder potato farmers, southwestern uganda, agricultural technology, climate change, potatoes, factorial analysis, seeds, training, storage, extension activities, smallholders, tubers, factorial design, information and communication technologies, agricultural workers