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

Bjorn Van Campenhout,Senne Vandevelde,Piet Van Asten,Wilberforce Walukano,Arash Rashed

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169557

Bjorn Van Campenhout, Senne Vandevelde + Show 3 more

Open Access

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

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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.

Highlights

To feed a growing population, agricultural production needs to increase dramatically
Showing extension videos on Positive Seed Selection (PSS) to farmers increased their knowledge related to seed selection practices covered in the video
It was found that showing simple agricultural extension videos to individual potato farmers on portable devices significantly increased knowledge related to seed selection and seed storage and handling among potato farmers

Summary

Introduction

To feed a growing population, agricultural production needs to increase dramatically. In order to meet the demand for increasingly calorie-intense and complex diets, overall food production would need to increase by some 70 percent between 2005 and 2050 [1]. This increase needs to be accomplished against a background of greater competition for land, water, and energy, and in the context of a changing climate. Sustainable intensification, whereby modern inputs and improved technologies and practices allow farmers to grow more food from the same area of land while reducing environmental impacts, is imperative [2, 3]. In Asia, the use of modern inputs and techniques on a large scale (e.g, inorganic fertilizer and hybrid seeds) and improved technologies (e.g., irrigation and row planting) led to a substantial increase

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