Abstract

Mobile phones promise to bring the ICT revolution to previously unconnected populations. A two-year study evaluates an innovative voice-based ICT advisory service for smallholder cotton farmers in India, demonstrating significant demand for, and trust in, new information. Farmers substantially alter their sources of information and consistently adopt inputs for cotton farming recommended by the service. Willingness to pay is, on average, less than the per-farmer cost of operating the service for our study, but likely exceeds the cost at scale. We do not find systematic evidence of gains in yields or profitability, suggesting the need for further research.

中文翻译：

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“移动化”农业咨询技术的采用扩散和可持续性

摘要

移动电话有望将ICT革命带给以前没有联系的人群。一项为期两年的研究评估了针对印度小农棉农的基于语音的创新ICT咨询服务，表明了对新信息的巨大需求和信任。农民大大改变了他们的信息来源，并一贯采纳该服务部门推荐的棉花种植投入。支付意愿平均低于我们研究中服务的每位农民的服务成本，但可能超出了规模成本。我们没有发现收益或获利能力提高的系统证据，这表明需要进一步研究。