A field experiment was conducted in 2016 in Machakos and Makueni Counties in Kenya aimed at testing methods to increase farmer adoption of drought tolerant (DT) maize varieties, including a participatory video intervention as well as having the video supported by a series of phone-based audio reminders. A list of 50 villages were provided by Farm Input Promotions-Africa (FIPS), an agricultural service provider, including 41 where FIPS was active and 9 where they were not. The 9 villages unsupported by FIPS were all included, and 18 of the supported villages were randomly chosen to be in the study. These 27 villages were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control, video only, and video plus audio reminders. Thirty maize farmers in the non-FIPS villages (which had a larger population, and 17 farmers in the FIPS villages) were randomly chosen and were surveyed before and after an intervention to see if knowledge of and adoption of DT maize varieties were impacted. The primary intervention was a participatory video screened in a set of villages that educated farmers about DT maize varieties including appropriate planting and growing techniques. A narrative/story-telling film shot in the region was used featuring local farmer-actors speaking in the local dialect (Kamba). Following the screening, a moderated discussion was held to reinforce information from the video. In the video plus audio group, a series of four follow-up audio reminders were sent to farmers' mobile phones at key points in the season. Farmers in the control group of villages received no video or audio interventions. The baseline survey was completed in early February 2016, the video screenings took place in late February, and the follow-up survey on the same households was completed in September 2016. A full description of theory, method, and results can be found in Cai, Tian. "Knowledge, Risk, and Benefit Perceptions: Using Participatory Video and Tailored Mobile Messages to Motivate Farmers' Uptake of Drought Tolerant (DT) Maize Seed in Kenya." Order No. 10689089 Michigan State University, East Lansing, 2017: ProQuest.

Tags: technology adoption, drought, kenya