Nudging the adoption of improved crop varieties: Evidence from a large randomized controlled trial in Uganda

Okello, Julius Juma, Just, David Ryan, Verschoor, Arjan, Ojwang, Sylvester Okoth, Mutiso, Janet Mwende, Mulwa, Chalmers Kyalo, Gong, Chenyan, Namanda, Sam, Rajendran, Srinivasulu, Ssali, Reuben Tendo, Okim, Moses and Campos, Hugo (2025) Nudging the adoption of improved crop varieties: Evidence from a large randomized controlled trial in Uganda. Food Security. ISSN 1876-4517 (In Press)

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Abstract

To achieve agricultural transformation in developing countries in the face of challenges such as climate change, the use of improved crop varieties needs a jumpstart. Using a randomized controlled trial in Uganda, we test how nudge theory can be harnessed to deliver increased adoption of improved crop varieties. We find a 7% treatment effect, though the effect is not robust to alternative specifications. We find compelling evidence for heterogeneous treatment effects, with robust treatment effects among those who experienced a stronger emotional connection to the nudges that we deployed. A key concept to help explain this is nostalgia::farmers prone to nostalgia responded more strongly to the traditional farming imagery used to nudge the adoption of improved varieties

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	agricultural technology adoption,sweet potato,improved varieties,nudges,nostalgia,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Behavioural and Experimental Development Economics Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Impact Evaluation Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Gender and Development University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Sciences
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	27 Oct 2025 14:30
Last Modified:	28 Oct 2025 16:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100787
DOI:	issn:1876-4517

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