Small Mechanisation Impact Stimuli in Ethiopia (SMISE)

Last registered on July 13, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Small Mechanisation Impact Stimuli in Ethiopia (SMISE)
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007951
Initial registration date
July 12, 2021
Last updated
July 13, 2021, 9:36 AM EDT

Locations

Country
Ethiopia
Region
Africa

Primary Investigator

Name
Susan Godlonton
Affiliation
Williams College
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Mesay Gebresilasse
PI Affiliation
Amherst College
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PI Name
Moti Jaleta
PI Affiliation
CIMMYT
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-04-01
End date
2023-12-31
Keywords
Agriculture, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the extent to which supply side and demand side interventions are complementary or substitutable in the context of farm mechanization. To do so, we implement a randomised controlled trial with four treatment conditions: 1) control arm; 2) demand side subsidy; 3) supply side service provider bundled intervention; and 4) the combination of both the supply side service provider intervention as well as demand side subsidy. The bundled supply-side intervention includes both a loan component and maintenance support services, and is randomised at the provider-level, while demand-side interventions are randomised at the household-level within kebeles in which the selected providers operate.

We will examine the impact of these interventions on a range of outcomes. On the farmer side: to begin we will measure the differential impact of the three interventions on the adoption of small mechanisation services. Assuming adoption, we will then examine the impact on labour outcomes. Throughout we intend to examine the disaggregated impacts on men and women, and youth. On the service provider side: we will examine the impact on service diversification, firm seasonality, and firm revenues.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Gebresilasse, Mesay, Susan Godlonton and Moti Jaleta. 2021. "Small Mechanisation Impact Stimuli in Ethiopia (SMISE)." AEA RCT Registry. July 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7951-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
To do so, we implement a randomised controlled trial with four treatment conditions: 1) control arm; 2) demand side subsidy; 3) supply side service provider bundled intervention; and 4) the combination of both the supply side service provider intervention as well as demand side subsidy.

The bundled supply-side intervention includes both a loan component and maintenance support services and is randomised at the provider-level, while demand-side interventions are randomised at the household-level within kebeles in which the selected providers operate.
Intervention Start Date
2021-10-01
Intervention End Date
2022-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Household level: Farm mechanisation service adoption (i.e. use of 2WT for threshing, irrigation and/or harvesting), Time use during relevant seasons
Service provider level: Number of services offered, number of months operational, number of customers served
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Due to the focus on firm strengthening and service expansion on the supply side, we will restrict our sample to areas already within the existing market area of service providers. In each of the 140 kebeles, we will obtain the household rosters from the kebele manager and randomly select 10 active-farming households to participate.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Randomization of service provider to the supply-side intervention will be conducted at the service provider level.
Randomization of households to the demand-side intervention will be at the household level, stratified by the supply-side intervention.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
1400 households, 140 service providers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
350 households allocated to each treatment;
35 service providers allocated to each 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
Williams College (FWA00005773)
IRB Approval Date
2021-04-20
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan