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.

https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169557

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https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169557

Climate Change; Farm Management; Farming Systems; Handling, Transport, Storage And Protection Of Agricultural Products; Knowledge Management; Smallholder Farmers

Agricultural Extension; Agricultural Productivity; Smallholder Potato Farmers; Southwestern Uganda; Agricultural Technology; Climate Change

Africa; East Africa

Uganda

PLoS ONE