The Efficacy of Renewable Energy Technology in Agriculture: Some Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh

Last registered on July 12, 2021

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Efficacy of Renewable Energy Technology in Agriculture: Some Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007829
Initial registration date
July 10, 2021

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
July 12, 2021, 11:49 AM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Curtin University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Curtin University
PI Affiliation
Curtin University
PI Affiliation
Shanghai Lixin University

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-08-25
End date
2022-08-20
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Given the increasing trend of energy-intensive modern agriculture and the accumulated greenhouse gas emissions, the importance of low-carbon energy technology is paramount in improving energy-water-food nexus. Therefore, this study broadly evaluates the efficacy and compatibility of renewable technology-use in agriculture. This study uses the case of solar technology in irrigation in Bangladesh, since irrigation is the most energy-intensive farm operation and the country has an extensive irrigation network. The underlying motivation is that technology diffusion in agriculture is endogenous, hence it is required to assess the heterogeneity of social, economic and environmental factors in a comprehensive framework of adoption scenario. It is observed that there is a lack of conceptual, methodological and empirical approach to assessing the energy-efficiency of an irrigation technology. Precisely, it is not yet ascertained if farmers' i) financial understanding and ii) pro-environmental behavior are impacted by technology adoption. Therefore, this study will employ two choice experiments to assess and evaluate the impact of renewable energy in irrigation technology and ascertain the causal inference of its adoption. The hypotheses will be tested as follows, compared to non-solar users, solar users utilize i) more financial understanding and ii) pro-environmental motivation. It is expected to contribute to the progress of academic scholarship and policy formulation with regard to any efficient and sustainable technology diffusion in agriculture.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Islam, Zeenatul et al. 2021. "The Efficacy of Renewable Energy Technology in Agriculture: Some Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh." AEA RCT Registry. July 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7829-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2021-09-07
Intervention End Date
2022-01-07

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Financial understanding of farmers, pro-environmental behavior of farmers
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study uses two choice experiments. In the first choice experiment, 10 binary choice sets and 1 multi-category set will be utilized. Choice sets intend to evaluate subjective and objective financial understanding of farmers, by using mathematical quiz and questions. In the second experiment, 2 binary choice sets will be used. Farmers' pro-environmental perception and behavior will be analyzed by using visual image frames and the technique of inverse framing in two choice sets respectively.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Random number generator software
Randomization Unit
1. Sub-districts of solar irrigation network
2. Farm household
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1. Two (2) clusters at macro level based on maximum and minimum solar installation capacity
2. Two (2) clusters at micro level; solar and non-solar farm households
Sample size: planned number of observations
800 farm households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
400 solar users and 400 non-solar users in irrigation
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
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