Adaptive Treatment Assignment for Policy Choice: Phone Enrollment for an Agricultural Extension Service

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Sautmann ◽  
Maximilian Kasy ◽  
Anja Sautmann
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Policy Choice ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Treatment Assignment ◽  
Agricultural Extension Service ◽  
Adaptive Treatment

scholarly journals Adaptive Treatment Assignment in Experiments for Policy Choice

Econometrica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Kasy ◽  
Anja Sautmann
Keyword(s):  
Asymptotic Optimality ◽  
Concave Function ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Point Estimation ◽  
Adaptive Designs ◽  
Treatment Assignment ◽  
Agricultural Extension Service ◽  
Adaptive Treatment ◽  
Assignment Algorithm ◽  
Practical Feasibility

Standard experimental designs are geared toward point estimation and hypothesis testing, while bandit algorithms are geared toward in‐sample outcomes. Here, we instead consider treatment assignment in an experiment with several waves for choosing the best among a set of possible policies (treatments) at the end of the experiment. We propose a computationally tractable assignment algorithm that we call “exploration sampling,” where assignment probabilities in each wave are an increasing concave function of the posterior probabilities that each treatment is optimal. We prove an asymptotic optimality result for this algorithm and demonstrate improvements in welfare in calibrated simulations over both non‐adaptive designs and bandit algorithms. An application to selecting between six different recruitment strategies for an agricultural extension service in India demonstrates practical feasibility.

Bridging Gender Gaps in Provision of Agricultural Extension Service Using ICT

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Sanga ◽  
V. J. Kalungwizi ◽  
C. P. Msuya
Keyword(s):  
Group Discussion ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Women Farmers ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Advisory Panel ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Agricultural Extension Service ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
Radio Programs ◽  
Important Evidence

This article was designed to present the assessment of the effectiveness of radio - based, impact driven smallholder farmer extension service system provided by FVR to enhance accessibility of extension services to women and men in the project areas of Tanzania. Specifically, this paper assessed women and men farmers' access to ICT and factors influencing the utilization of ICT to deliver agricultural information and knowledge. The paper used data from impact assessment survey of the project conducted between April 2012 and June 2012. These data were complemented by focus group discussion involving members of gender advisory panel that had been established in the selected project sites. Quantitative data were analyzed to yield frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. Even though ownership of mobile phones and radio was higher among women in all study areas both men and women farmers' had almost the same percentage in accessibility to agricultural extension information. The factors that affected women and men farmers to get quality agricultural information via these ICT tools were namely: poor radio signal reception, power outrage and poor timing of radio programs among others. This is important evidence that careful use of ICT can reduce gender imbalance in agricultural extension services and information delivery.

scholarly journals Smallholder farmers willingness to pay for privatized agricultural extension services in Tigray National Regional State, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Kidane Tesfay Gebreegziabher ◽  
Gidey Kidu Mezgebo
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Agricultural Extension Service

This study assessed farmers’ willingness to pay for privatization of agricultural extension services and examined factors that determine willingness to pay for those services. Multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 240 households. Data were collected using household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview tools. Data were analyzed using percentage and logit model. Results showed that 58% of the respondents were willing to pay for the privatization of agricultural extension services. Farm size, age, family size, credit access, frequency of extension contact and income were significantly influenced farmers’ willingness to pay for privatization of agricultural extension services. Privatization of agricultural extension services encourages graduates of agricultural sciences to launch consultancy firms and this engenders professional entrepreneurship. Number of visits, socioeconomic, and institutional factors must be given emphasis for privatizing the agricultural extension service in Ethiopia. Moreover, government should launch privatization parallel to the public agricultural extension services Keywords: Agricultural extension service, willingness, privatization. Ethiopia

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