Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Communication Networks and Nutrition-sensitive Extension in Rural Kenya : Essays on Centrality, Network Effects and Technology Adoption

Auteur : Jäckering, Lisa

Université de soutenance : Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Grade : Doctoral degree in the International Ph.D. Program for Agricultural Sciences in Goettingen (IPAG) 2018

Résumé partiel
Globally, 767 million people live on less than US$ 1.90 a day and two billion people are malnourished. Especially affected by poverty and malnutrition is the rural population of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), who depend on the agricultural sector for food and income. Adopting new technologies can help farmers improve their livelihoods through an increase in income, or an improved nutritional and health status. However, adoption rates are comparably low. As agriculture can play a central role for food security, making agriculture more nutrition-sensitive has become one of the hot topics in the recent development discourse. However, also the uptake of pro-nutrition technologies – such as biofortified crops or particularly nutritious pulses – remains below expectations. While factors influencing the adoption of technologies are manifold (for instance, education, risk preferences or wealth), special attention has recently been paid to the important functions of information access and social networks. In this regards, agricultural extension systems can set in to provide farmers with the missing information on new (pro-nutrition) technologies. A common approach is to channel information regarding the new technologies through farmer groups. However, so far nutrition-sensitive programs mostly focused on mothers only. There is little evidence on how men and women embedded in groups, communicate about topics related to agriculture and nutrition, and which persons can serve as potential target points for nutrition-sensitive extension. Simultaneously, networks play an important role for the diffusion of information. In particular, communication networks are potential pathways that may induce behavioral change and may play a strong role in the setting of group-based extension due to dynamics that trigger peer pressure or competition. However, due to lack of detailed (panel) network data, there is little evidence on how these communication networks are affected by the delivery of agricultural extension, and if communication networks can contribute to finally adopt new technologies. This dissertation addresses these research gaps by drawing conclusion based on a unique dataset that combines a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with detailed panel data on communication networks of farmer groups. The RCT was implemented in rural Kenya and consisted of varying combinations of group-based agricultural and nutrition training sessions. The purpose of the extension training was the promotion of the iron-rich black common bean variety KK15. Survey data from 48 farmer groups (824 households) was collected before (October until December 2015) and after (October until December 2016) the intervention (March until September 2016). Given the background on the importance of a better understanding of communication networks in the context of agricultural extension, this dissertation comprises two essays

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