Abstract
The successful adoption of innovations depends on the provision of adequate information to farmers. In rural areas of developing countries, farmers usually rely on their social networks as an information source. Hence, policy-makers and program-implementers can benefit from social diffusion processes to effectively disseminate information. This study aims to identify the set of farmers who initially obtain information (‘seeds’) that optimises diffusion through the network. It systematically evaluates different criteria for seed selection, number of seeds, and their interaction effects. An empirical Agent-Based Model adjusted to a case study in rural Zambia was applied to predict diffusion outcomes for varying seed sets ex ante. Simulations revealed that informing farmers with the most connections leads to highest diffusion speed and reach. Also targeting village heads and farmers with high betweenness centrality, who function as bridges connecting different parts of the network, enhances diffusion. An increased number of seeds improves reach, but the marginal effects of additional seeds decline. Interdependencies between seed set size and selection criteria highlight the importance of considering both seed selection criteria and seed set size for optimising seeding strategies to enhance information diffusion.
Highlights
Introduction. Many regions in developing countries lack adequate access to formal information sources, which is why information is spread through social networks (Saint Ville et al ; Songsermsawas et al ; Rink & WongGrünwald )
Our analysis explored how the selection of farmers who receive information first (‘seeds’) influences knowledge di usion in a sparse social network
Our results provide policy makers and development practitioners with insights into how seeding strategies can support the promotion of innovations, while making use of social di usion processes in rural communities in developing countries
Summary
. Many regions in developing countries lack adequate access to formal information sources, which is why information is spread through social networks (Saint Ville et al ; Songsermsawas et al ; Rink & WongGrünwald ). This channel of knowledge dissemination is especially important for resource-poor small-scale farmers. They rely on informal information sources since sharing information through word-of-mouth communication is convenient, reduces transaction costs, and is accessible (Feder et al ; Matuschke ).
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