Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. -551-3920212, fax: +49-551-3920203, e-mail: conrad.murendo@agr.uni-goettingen.de Abstract Social networks play a vital role in generating social learning and information exchange that can drive the diffusion of new financial innovations. This is particularly relevant for developing countries where education, extension and financial information services are underprovided. The recent introduction of mobile money in Africa represents a case where imperfect financial markets, weak extension services and information asymmetries limit the ability of rural households to make informed decisions to take advantage of mobile money innovation. This article identifies the role of social networks in the adoption of mobile money in Uganda. Using data from a survey of 477 rural households, a probit model is estimated controlling for household characteristics, correlated effects, and other possible information sources. Results suggest that learning within social networks helps disseminate information about mobile money and has enhanced its adoption. Compared to poor households, non-poor households rely more on social networks for information about mobile money. Mobile money adoption is likely to be enhanced if promotion programs reach more social networks. Terms of use: Documents in

Agriculture continues to be the thrust of Uganda's economy, directly employing majority of the population. However, there is deficiency in extension service delivery with few trained extension workers to support smallholder farmers. As a result, there have been strides to revolutionize traditional agriculture extension delivery through Village Enterprise Agent Model using mobile telephony digital extension platform. A cross sectional study design was adopted using ethnographic interviews and survey questionnaire with 70 VEAs. The diffusion of innovation theory and technology acceptance model are applied to examine the VEAs' experience in using mobile telephony as a tool to deliver agriculture extension services. Explicitly, the study investigated the capacity of VEAs to deliver extension services, how they do it, the kind of information delivered and the challenges to this model. Study findings revealed that social networks of farmer groups are key diffusion channels through which VEAs reach smallholder farmers. Adopters' characteristics such as VEAs' education background, community leadership skills and prior experience in using mobile telephony has a strong bearing on the ease of disseminating digital messages to farmers. In addition, the Kulima mobile telephony digital platform has supported real time dissemination of agricultural information. This is integrated with pragmatic demonstration gardens, farmer exchange visits, home visits to enhance farmers' peer learning. The sustainability of VEA model, with no clear incentive system, amidst complicated agriculture terminologies used in digital messages are some of the challenges to the model. Thus, future extension delivery using community agents and information communication technology should be cognizant of the social cultural dynamics, social nodes and ties of farmers and translate mobile digital messages into indigenous languages.