Agricultural Extension Messages Using Video on Portable Devices Increased Knowledge about Seed Selection, Storage and Handling among Smallholder Potato Farmers in Southwestern Uganda

PLoS One. 2017 Jan 25;12(1):e0169557. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169557. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

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.

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture / methods*
  • Communications Media*
  • Farmers*
  • Humans
  • Knowledge*
  • Seeds
  • Solanum tuberosum
  • Uganda

Grants and funding

The authors received funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda, through the Policy Action for Sustainable Intensification of Cropping Systems in Uganda (PASIC). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.