Browsing by Author "Herrick, Jeffrey E."

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    Mobile phone use and agricultural productivity among female smallholder farmers in Tanzania
    Quandt, Amy; Salerno, Jonathan D.; Baird, Timothy D.; McCabe, J. Terrence; Xu, Emilie; Herrick, Jeffrey E.; Hartter, Joel (2021)
    Evidence shows that mobile phones can improve agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet few studies examine gender disparities in mobile phone ownership and use, and how they relate to the gender gap in agricultural productivity. This research gathers survey data on 279 male and female household heads in four villages in Iringa, Tanzania, and investigates the associations between gender, agricultural productivity, and phone ownership and use. Our study finds that many farmers use phones to conduct agricultural activities, with virtually all male respondents using their privately-owned phones compared to only two-thirds of female respondents. Moreover, many women have positive perceptions and trust in the benefits of using phones for agricultural activities. Lastly, phone owners have higher self-reported maize yields compared to non–phone owners. Our results suggest that mobile phones may be a valuable tool in bridging the agricultural gender gap.
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    Mobile phone use is associated with higher smallholder agricultural productivity in Tanzania, East Africa
    Quandt, Amy; Salerno, Jonathan D.; Neff, Jason C.; Baird, Timothy D.; Herrick, Jeffrey E.; McCabe, J. Terrence; Xu, Emilie; Hartter, Joel (PLOS, 2020-08-06)
    Mobile phone use is increasing in Sub-Saharan Africa, spurring a growing focus on mobile phones as tools to increase agricultural yields and incomes on smallholder farms. However, the research to date on this topic is mixed, with studies finding both positive and neutral associations between phones and yields. In this paper we examine perceptions about the impacts of mobile phones on agricultural productivity, and the relationships between mobile phone use and agricultural yield. We do so by fitting multilevel statistical models to data from farmer-phone owners (n = 179) in 4 rural communities in Tanzania, controlling for site and demographic factors. Results show a positive association between mobile phone use for agricultural activities and reported maize yields. Further, many farmers report that mobile phone use increases agricultural profits (67% of respondents) and decreases the costs (50%) and time investments (47%) of farming. Our findings suggest that there are opportunities to target policy interventions at increasing phone use for agricultural activities in ways that facilitate access to timely, actionable information to support farmer decision making.