It’s Showtime! Evaluating the Effect of TV Programming on Agricultural Productivity in Rural Zambia

Last registered on September 12, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
It’s Showtime! Evaluating the Effect of TV Programming on Agricultural Productivity in Rural Zambia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014272
Initial registration date
August 29, 2024

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
September 12, 2024, 5:03 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Zambia
Region
Central and Eastern Province

Primary Investigator

Name
Jonathan Robinson
Affiliation
University of California, Santa Cruz
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Shilpa Aggarwal
PI Affiliation
ISB
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PI Name
Francisco Ceballos
PI Affiliation
IFPRI
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PI Name
Berber Kramer
PI Affiliation
IFPRI
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-07-01
End date
2025-07-01
Keywords
Agriculture, Gender
Additional Keywords
agriculture, extension, edutainment, television
JEL code(s)
O12, O13, Q12, Q16
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Television is a powerful tool to scale ‘edutainment’ - information that is both educational and entertaining. One such form of information is agricultural information, but there is limited rigorous evidence on the effect of extension delivered via television on agricultural outcomes, such as investment or productivity. We will evaluate a new farm makeover show broadcast on national TV in Zambia called “Munda Make Over," modeled after the popular Kenyan show “Shamba Shape Up”. The show is similar to home makeover shows in developed countries, featuring visits by an expert who tours the farm, points out areas for improvement, and implements their advice, with segments dedicated to gender issues interspersed throughout the season.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Aggarwal, Shilpa et al. 2024. " It’s Showtime! Evaluating the Effect of TV Programming on Agricultural Productivity in Rural Zambia ." AEA RCT Registry. September 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14272-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We will run an RCT in Zambia in which we provide farmers with agricultural information. Agricultural information will be provided through the TV show, with farmers in the treatment arm being shown the show via screenings in local villages. Households with TVs will also be encouraged to watch the show on their own, and reminded via text message. In addition, households with smartphone access will be sent YouTube links to the show. Treatment will be randomized at the village level.
Intervention Start Date
2023-12-01
Intervention End Date
2024-10-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
agricultural knowledge, agricultural practices, input adoption
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
yield, women's empowerment
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Yields will be measured from data on total production and acreage cultivated. Women's empowerment will be measured using modules from the Project-Level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (Pro-WEAI)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will identify 160 villages in 5 districts in Eastern and Central provinces in Zambia. We will randomize these villages into treatment and control, stratified by district.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done in office by computer
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is the village.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
160 villages
Sample size: planned number of observations
We plan to conduct 10-16 household surveys per village, i.e. 1,600-2,560 surveys total across 20 camps.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
80 treatment, 80 control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
International Food Policy Research Institute IRB
IRB Approval Date
2023-08-21
IRB Approval Number
MTI-23-0833
IRB Name
ERES Converge
IRB Approval Date
2023-08-17
IRB Approval Number
2023-Jun-019
Analysis Plan