Village networks and entrepreneurial farming in Uganda

D'Exelle, Ben ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9332-5223 and Verschoor, Arjan (2023) Village networks and entrepreneurial farming in Uganda. World Development, 167. ISSN 0305-750X

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Abstract

The transition from semi-subsistence farming to more entrepreneurial farming by the adoption of new crops or improved seeds is important for poverty reduction in developing countries. In rural societies, farmers’ propensity to experiment with new technologies is influenced by their access to information and support, provided by networks of friends and relatives. Considering that the same connection can share both information and support, we study the separate effects as well as the interaction of both network functions. Using two waves of data from a sample of Ugandan farmers, we find that the propensity to adopt new crops or improved seeds increases with the number of friends or relatives who adopted new crops or improved seeds before. The effect on the adoption of new crops is stronger if the same friends or relatives also provide support in the form of gifts or loans. At the same time, we find a positive effect of support that is conditional on friends or relatives having adopted new crops before.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Economics Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Behavioural Economics Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Environment, Resources and Conflict Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Gender and Development Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Impact Evaluation 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 Groups > Behavioural and Experimental Development Economics
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	23 Mar 2023 10:30
Last Modified:	12 Jun 2023 08:34
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/91666
DOI:	10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106241

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