The Role of Information on Producers’ Innovation Adoption in a Lab-in-the-Field Experiment

Last registered on September 21, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Role of Information on Producers’ Innovation Adoption in a Lab-in-the-Field Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019709
Initial registration date
September 11, 2026

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 21, 2026, 8:34 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Canada
Region
Ontario

Primary Investigator

Name
Nidhi Nidhi
Affiliation
University of Guelph
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Tongzhe Li
PI Affiliation
University of Guelph
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2026-09-15
End date
2026-09-17
Keywords
Agriculture, Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Lab-in-the-Field Experiment, Farmers' Decisions
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Best management practices (BMPs) in agriculture play an important role in reducing nutrient losses, greenhouse gas emissions, and improving nitrogen use efficiency. Despite the agronomic and environmental benefits associated with improved nitrogen management practices, Canadian agricultural producers differ in their adoption of bio-stimulants and nitrogen stabilizers (Daly et al., 2025). This variation could be related to how producers process and interpret scientific information, particularly when evidence about product performance is presented with varying levels of detail (Mastenbroek et al., 2021; Wuepper et al., 2023).

This study aims to investigate whether the complexity of scientific information provided to producers affects their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for nitrogen management technologies and whether this effect differs between bio-stimulants and nitrogen stabilizers. We will conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment with agricultural producers at the 2026 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) in Woodstock, Ontario (September 15 - 17). Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three information treatments: a control, a concise scientific information treatment, or a detailed scientific information treatment. Participants will subsequently bid on two nitrogen management products using an incentive-compatible cost-share Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism (Becker et al., 1964).

The primary outcome of interest is producers’ bids, measured as the percentage of the market price that participants are willing to pay for each product under different information treatments.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Li, Tongzhe and Nidhi Nidhi. 2026. "The Role of Information on Producers’ Innovation Adoption in a Lab-in-the-Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. September 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19709-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Control (T0)
Participants assigned to the control receive general product information in the form of an infographic, describing the product and its intended purpose. No scientific evidence, yield estimates, or environmental performance data are presented.

Treatment 1 (T1): Concise Scientific Information
Participants assigned to Treatment 1 receive the same general product information in the form of an infographic, followed by a concise scientific message summarizing relevant evidence on product performance. For both the bio-stimulant and the nitrogen stabilizer, the message presents scientific evidence regarding potential yield improvements and reductions in synthetic fertilizer use.

The quantitative evidence is presented as a single estimate for each performance measure, providing participants with a concise summary of the reported effects. References to the scientific evidence presented are provided at the end of the message.

Treatment 2 (T2): Detailed Scientific Information
Participants assigned to Treatment 2 receive the same general product information in the form of an infographic, followed by a detailed scientific message summarizing relevant evidence on product performance. For both the bio-stimulant and the nitrogen stabilizers, the message presents scientific evidence with quantitative ranges for potential yield improvements and reductions in synthetic fertilizer use. Unlike T1, the quantitative evidence is presented as ranges of potential effects rather than single estimates, providing information on the variation in reported yield and fertilizer-use outcomes.

Additionally, the message also provides information on factors that may affect product performance. This includes environmental effects, application requirements, management conditions, and implementation considerations. References to the scientific evidence presented are provided at the end of the message.
Intervention (Hidden)
Control (T0)
Participants assigned to the control receive general product information in the form of an infographic, describing the product and its intended purpose. No scientific evidence, yield estimates, or environmental performance data are presented.

Treatment 1 (T1): Concise Scientific Information
Participants assigned to Treatment 1 receive the same general product information in the form of an infographic, followed by a concise scientific message summarizing relevant evidence on product performance. For both the bio-stimulant and the nitrogen stabilizer, the message presents scientific evidence regarding potential yield improvements and reductions in synthetic fertilizer use.

The quantitative evidence is presented as a single estimate for each performance measure, providing participants with a concise summary of the reported effects. References to the scientific evidence presented are provided at the end of the message.

Treatment 2 (T2): Detailed Scientific Information
Participants assigned to Treatment 2 receive the same general product information in the form of an infographic, followed by a detailed scientific message summarizing relevant evidence on product performance. For both the bio-stimulant and the nitrogen stabilizers, the message presents scientific evidence with quantitative ranges for potential yield improvements and reductions in synthetic fertilizer use. Unlike T1, the quantitative evidence is presented as ranges of potential effects rather than single estimates, providing information on the variation in reported yield and fertilizer-use outcomes.

Additionally, the message also provides information on factors that may affect product performance. This includes environmental effects, application requirements, management conditions, and implementation considerations. References to the scientific evidence presented are provided at the end of the message.
Intervention Start Date
2026-09-15
Intervention End Date
2026-09-17

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcome of interest is producers’ bids.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The primary outcome of interest is producers’ bids, measured as the percentage of the market price that participants are willing to pay for each product under different information treatments.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment will investigate the causal effect of scientific information complexity on producers’ willingness-to-pay for nitrogen management technologies. Participants will be recruited at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, where, after providing informed consent, participants will receive instructions explaining the experimental auction and the BDM mechanism. Participants will also complete comprehension questions to assess their understanding of the bidding mechanism. Each participant is then randomly assigned to one of the three information treatments. Participants subsequently submit bids between 0 and 100% on both products, with product order randomized with equal probability between the two possible orders.

After the bidding tasks, participants will complete a post-experiment questionnaire covering farm characteristics, prior experience with the products, information level preferences, fertilizer management practices, 4R Nutrient Stewardship knowledge, and demographic characteristics. Each participant will receive $20 CAD as compensation and will have the opportunity (1 in 100) to purchase one of the randomly selected products using the BDM mechanism. The experiment is programmed in Python and HTML and administered on iPads.
Experimental Design Details
The experiment will investigate the causal effect of scientific information complexity on producers’ willingness-to-pay for nitrogen management technologies. Participants will be recruited at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, where, after providing informed consent, participants will receive instructions explaining the experimental auction and the BDM mechanism. Participants will also complete comprehension questions to assess their understanding of the bidding mechanism. Each participant is then randomly assigned to one of the three information treatments. Participants subsequently submit bids between 0 and 100% on both products, with product order randomized with equal probability between the two possible orders.

After the bidding tasks, participants will complete a post-experiment questionnaire covering farm characteristics, prior experience with the products, information level preferences, fertilizer management practices, 4R Nutrient Stewardship knowledge, and demographic characteristics. Each participant will receive $20 CAD as compensation and will have the opportunity (1 in 100) to purchase one of the randomly selected products using the BDM mechanism. The experiment is programmed in Python and HTML and administered on iPads.
Randomization Method
Randomization is conducted by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual Farmer.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
429 farmers as participants.
Sample size: planned number of observations
429 farmers as participants.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
around 143 farmers.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Guelph Research Ethics Board
IRB Approval Date
2026-08-21
IRB Approval Number
(REB #: 0614; Legacy REB #: 22-02-009)
Analysis Plan

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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