Show and tell: farmer field days and learning about inputs with heterogeneous yield effects

Abstract

Organic inputs can be effective in reversing soil degradation and improving crop yields, but are often underused in a developing country context. This study seeks to determine whether farmer field days (FFDs) are effective in disseminating information about novel organic inputs, and the extent to which they increase demand for these products. Using experimental auctions to measure willingness to pay (WTP) among smallholder farmers in Western Kenya, we find that those farmers exposed to information from FFDs related to biochar and vermicompost, novel organic inputs, have lower WTP for the products. We present evidence that this is likely driven by two factors in particular: changes in perceptions of input profitability and heterogeneity in yields across demonstration plots within field day sites.