Potato farmers in Ecuador rely on chemical inputs to manage pests and optimize yields. Integrated pest management techniques lower production costs, reduce pesticide exposure, and improve long-term agricultural sustainability. Public extension does not, however, exist in Ecuador, and cost-effective means of communicating complex messages to producers are needed. We analyze cost-effectiveness of alternative dissemination methods, including farmer field schools (FFS), field days, pamphlets, and word-of-mouth transmission. Field days and pamphlets have strong impacts on adoption, especially considering their low costs. FFS are effective, but expensive. Evidence also indicates significant diffusion from FFS to non-FFS farmers, indicating high complementarity across methods.

Did you really get the message? Using text reminders to stimulate adoption of agricultural technologies Abstract This paper provides evidence from a randomized control trial (RCT) conducted among potato farmers in Northern Ecuador about the impact of receipt of text message reminders on farmer knowledge about and adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) practices. The paper provides novel empirical evidence of the potential roles of reminders as post-training follow-ups in an agrarian setting. Using psychological constructs, we examine competing explanations for nonstandard decision making such as low adoption of beneficial agricultural technologies. Farmers who received text messages have significantly higher knowledge scores and are more likely to adopt most IPM practices than those in the control group. The experiment provides evidences that text messages lead to behavioral changes by reducing inattention and sub-optimal heuristics in the case of complex decisions.

Substantial resources have been devoted to mitigating the asset gender gap in developing country agriculture. Efforts have been taken to understand the role of women in decision making and in farm operations. Recommendations for best practices in eliciting information on women's roles have emphasized the importance of sex-disaggregated data collection and analysis. Collection of sex-disaggregated data is not straightforward and careful attention to context is needed. In Ecuador's highlands, chemical use in agriculture is widespread, and outreach and training programs to reduce this use are essential. These programs should target the appropriate decision makers. This paper presents results from a field experiment conducted in the Ecuador highlands where responding farm households are randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (i) a male respondent, (ii) a female respondent, and (iii) both adult male and female respondents (interviewed separately, but with knowledge that the other would also be interviewed). We assess whether treatment assignment affects responses to questions about decision making and responsibility for agricultural activities.Perceptions about household decision making and who is responsible for agricultural activities vary substantially by type of respondent. Men are more likely to claim sole responsibility; women are more likely to claim responsibility or that decisions are jointly made. In households where both man and woman were interviewed (separately) we found stark differences in responses about responsibilities, with men claiming sole responsibility at higher rates. Interviewing both members led to less divergence in responses, but large differences in perceptions about responsibilities remain when both are interviewed. Best interviewing practices depend on the type of information needed: for precise quantification of gender roles, complex methods may be necessary, but where qualitative information is sufficient, single-member interviews may be sufficient. Keywords:Women's decisionmaking, survey design, randomized control trial, integrated pest management, Ecuador. 3 Highlights:Household decision makers should be targeted in pesticide education programs, yet no solid guidance exists for identifying these decision makers Randomized survey experiment uncovers information about how survey design affects responses about decision making and responsibilities Women and men have different perceptions about decision making, but interviewing both in the same household does not solve the problem More research is needed on how to measure gender roles in household decision making 4 Acknowledgements

The Andean region of Ecuador is characterized by extreme poverty caused by low agricultural productivity, limited off-farm opportunities, and lack of access to markets. Poverty is related to degradation of natural resources as lagging agricultural productivity leads to incursions into fragile areas and use of erosive farming techniques on steeply sloped hillsides. Food production in fragile areas degrades soil and water resources, contributes to deforestation and loss of biodiversity, and reduces productive potential over time. This article discusses an agricultural development project designed to reduce the long-term downward development spiral in a watershed in Bolivar, Ecuador. The applied research program began with analysis of the state of soil resources, water, and biodiversity in the Chimbo sub-watershed. This information was used to design a plan with the input of local stake-holders to introduce environmentally friendly farming practices, soil and water conservation techniques, and various institutional innovations to promote resource conservation. This adaptive management program has been a solid success. This article describes the project, the challenges it faced, and how the process of adaptive management led to consensus among stakeholders about the appropriateness of sustainable management practices. We show how implementation of enhanced management practices contribute to reduced environmental vulnerability and improved welfare.

No abstract