Learning from self and learning from others: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh

Last registered on January 23, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Learning from self and learning from others: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010751
Initial registration date
January 19, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 23, 2023, 7:03 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Bangladesh
Region
Barisal District

Primary Investigator

Name
Florence Kondylis
Affiliation
The World Bank
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Maria Ruth Jones
PI Affiliation
The World Bank
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PI Name
John Loeser
PI Affiliation
The World Bank
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PI Name
Daniel Stein
PI Affiliation
IDinsight
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Ahmed Mobarak
PI Affiliation
Yale University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2012-05-07
End date
2016-06-30
Keywords
Agriculture
Additional Keywords
technology adoption, climate change
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture in Bangladesh, we design and implement an experiment around the promotion of new flood-saline-resilient varieties of seeds for traditionally cultivated crops. The new varieties are promoted to farmer field schools at the village level. We randomize demonstration modalities, varying the number of farmer group members demonstrating the new seed varieties while holding constant the amount of demonstration seed available at the village level. We compare three treatment arms to a control arm that does not receive demonstration resources.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Jones, Maria Ruth et al. 2023. "Learning from self and learning from others: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh." AEA RCT Registry. January 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10751-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We study the adoption of newly improved saline-flood resistant seeds under the auspices of the Integrated Agricultural Productivity Project (IAPP). The project was implemented from 2011 to 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh, funded by the Global Agricultural and Food Security Project (GAFSP) and the Government of Bangladesh, and supervised by the World Bank. In Barisal district, where our study takes place, IAPP aimed to increase yields and agricultural income for participating farmers partially by promoting adoption of improved
saline-flood resistant varieties for traditional dry season crops bypassed by the Green Revolution–lentils, mung, mustard, sesame and wheat. The frequency of saline-flood events is intensifying in Barisal, a direct consequence of climate change. The new, improved seeds we study were engineered to improve saline-flood resilience of non-paddy traditional crops in a context where rising seas, falling water tables, and drying rivers combine to increase the incidence of saline-flood events.
Intervention Start Date
2012-09-03
Intervention End Date
2014-04-18

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The key outcomes of interest are adoption of the new flood-saline-resilient crops, yield, and profits.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomly assign 110 villages in Barisal district to one of three treatment arms or a control arm. In the first treatment arm (regular), we additionally implemented regular demonstration protocols–this is the benchmark model in which the extension worker designated a farmer to receive the full demonstration package and host a one-season demonstration plot. The second treatment arm (shared) was designed to increase the number of farmers who demonstrate while limiting the geographic spread of the demonstration. The extension worker identified up to four farmers who cultivated contiguous plots and were willing to set up a shared demonstration plot using the same total amount of demonstration resources as in the Regular arm. The third arm (decentralized) decentralized demonstration both geographically and socially. The extension worker allowed up to twelve farmers to split the demonstration package and experiment with the new seed on their own plots, triggering both social and geographic decentralization of demonstration within the village. In the control, new varieties are promoted by the extension agent to the farmer field groups, but no demonstration resources are provided to the village. The experiment is implemented within farmer groups and we measure outcomes over the course of three years.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done programmatically using Stata
Randomization Unit
Village
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
110 villages
Sample size: planned number of observations
2200 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
28 villages control, 27 regular treatment, 28 shared treatment, 27 decentralized treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IPA Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2012-09-17
IRB Approval Number
00006083
IRB Name
Yale University IRB
IRB Approval Date
Details not available
IRB Approval Number
1208010629
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials