The effect of information networks on the scaling out of new agricultural technologies: The case of pulse variety adoption in Southern Ethiopia

We investigate how information networks influence smallholder farmers' learning and decisions that lead to the adoption of improved pulse varieties in two Ethiopian villages. Using data from a mixed methods study (snowball sampling, egocentric networks, unstructured interviews, and focus group discussions), we find that farmers with more connections had adoption rates that were more strongly associated with their relative positions in the network than farmers with fewer connections. All other factors being equal, a one-percentage-point increase in centrality is associated with a 22-percentage-point increase in the adoption of new pulse varieties. This finding offers additional insights into the role that social networks may play in technology adoption as well as the measurement of network effects.