Nudging Farmers to Use Fertilizer: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Kenya

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2011
Volume: 101
Issue: 6
Pages: 2350-90

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We model farmers as facing small fixed costs of purchasing fertilizer and assume some are stochastically present biased and not fully sophisticated about this bias. Such farmers may procrastinate, postponing fertilizer purchases until later periods, when they may be too impatient to purchase fertilizer. Consistent with the model, many farmers in Western Kenya fail to take advantage of apparently profitable fertilizer investments, but they do invest in response to small, time-limited discounts on the cost of acquiring fertilizer (free delivery) just after harvest. Calibration suggests that this policy can yield higher welfare than either laissez-faire policies or heavy subsidies. (JEL Q13, Q12, Q16, Q18)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:101:y:2011:i:6:p:2350-90
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25