https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4719-0142
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ABSTRACT
Purpose: The study evaluates new approach of digital extension services for the long-term adoption of digital extension technologies. We propose an indirect adoption approach to address following research questions. What socioeconomic factors influence rice farmers’ decision to prefer one business profile over another? Which business profile is most preferred and likely to be adopted by rice farmers? What are the attributes and socioeconomic characteristics required to create the best business profile?
Design/Methodology/Approach: Ten business profiles were tested with a sample size of 1440 farmers. Using the RiceAdvice as case study, we used choice experiment and the alternative-specific mixed logit model to determine most preferred business profile and analyze its determinants.
Findings: The preferred business profile was predicted by gender, age, education level, rice production experience, technology knowledge, contact with extension agents, rice farm size, and household income. 49.4% of farmers selected cash payment after harvest at 9.70 USD/hectare for more than two seasons-contract as first adoption approach. Cash payment after harvest at 14.50 USD/hectare for one season-contract was chosen by 44.7% of farmers as the second option.
Practical implications: Results highlight the ideal business profile, which considers all levels of education, with 14.50 USD/hectare/season as optimum price for cash payment after harvest and no access to credit.
Theoretical implications: The study expands the applicability of new adoption approach combined with econometric approach in the context of digital extension service adoption.
Originality/Value: This study revealed an indirect approach to the long-term adoption of digital extension technologies as most suitable for small holder farmers’ adoption.
Acknowledgements
We thank all CGIAR Trust Fund and the Government of Belgium for their financial contribution through the Transforming Agrifood Systems in West and Central Africa Initiative (TAFS-WCA). We also thank The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for financing the project ‘Sustainable and Diversified Rice-based Farming Systems’ (DCI-FOOD/2015/360-968) and the Excellency in Agronomy (EiA) as well as the Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Tropical AgriScience (grant No.: 20233101) for their financial support. The authors would also like to thank the Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI), Green Sahel, and ATAFI for their assistance with the survey.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Availability of data
The data supporting this study's findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Rico Amoussohoui
Rico Amoussouhoui completed a bachelor's degree in Agronomy, a Master's in management of the rural enterprise, an MBA in Agribusiness and Food management enterprise, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in sustainable agricultural technologies at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. He worked with AfricaRice as a research assistant and monitoring and evaluation specialist. He is also an independent consultant in agricultural technology adoption and agribusiness and the author of articles published in SCI journals.
Aminou Arouna
Dr. Aminou Arouna is the Program Leader for the Policy, Innovation Systems, and Impact Assessment Program, one of the four research programs at AfricaRice. His works include ex-post impact assessment of NERICA varieties on poverty and food security in 16 countries, the experimental impact of digital and personalized extension advice tools and contract farming schemes on livelihood using randomized control trial approach, gender learning, and adoption in agriculture, rice value chain upgrading in West Africa and impact of rice policy. Aminou also has substantial experience in ME&L for development intervention. He published more than 70 papers in different journals, including the American Journal of Agricultural Economist and Development Economics. Aminou obtained his Ph.D. with distinction (Magna cum laude) at the University of Hohenheim (Germany) in 2009. He has more than 20 years of research for development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Miroslava Bavorova
Ass. Prof. Bavorova Miroslava is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Development at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. She received her Ph.D. in agriculture from the University of Göttingen. Since 2002, she has held a position as a researcher at IAMO in Halle and since 2008–2017 at the Martin-Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg. Her interdisciplinary research is mainly based on economic, sociologic, and psychologic theories. She is interested in analyzing actors’ behavior regarding the environment, food safety and security, migration, willingness to work in agriculture, and consumer behavior. She established a research group, ‘Behavioural study in the agri-food sector,’ and has published several papers in high-ranking journals.
Vladimir Verner
Ass. Prof. Vladimir Verner currently holds the position of Professor assistant at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czechia. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in agricultural economics in 2007. He has been the leader of the research group TRACE (Tropical Farming Systems & Ecological Economics) since 2015 and, since 2020, also vice-head of the department of economics and development. His specialization is resource and process economics, valuating investments for agricultural development, nutrition-sensitive and biodiversity-based value chains, and the efficiency of poverty alleviation strategies. He provided consultancy on the commercial transformation of subsistence farming systems, land use dynamics, and sustainable agricultural production for FAO, UNDP, IFAD, and the EC. He is also the author of several papers published in SCI journals.
Wilfried Yergo
Wilfried Yergo has a master's in economics. He is currently a Research Assistant at AfricaRice in Policy, Innovation Systems, and Impact Assessment Program. He is a research assistant in Economic Data Management & Analysis. His research interests include establishing ex-ante and ex-post impact assessment methods and conducted several data collection and management systems and software. He is the author and co-author of several papers published in SCI journals.
Jan Banout
Prof. Jan Banout received his Ph.D. in tropical agriculture at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague in 2005. He is a professor and senior Food Security and Food Processing Technology researcher. He is the head of the Department of Sustainable Technology, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. He has a significant level of experience in both teaching and research, including field investigation and surveys conducted in different developing countries. He has strong experience as a senior consultant in the disciplines mentioned above. He was a manager or member of research teams of several projects conducted in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, focusing on sustainable development of agriculture technology, food processing, food security, and organic waste management. He was an invited speaker and lecturer at several universities in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The publications are available on ORCID: 0000-0002-9647-1426.