Summary
This quasi-experimental study evaluates a 'phygital' (physical and digital) agricultural extension platform (MASS) implemented in three aspirational districts of Telangana, India. Using a difference-in-differences design with 600 beneficiary and 400 non-beneficiary farmers, the study found substantial increases in farmer aspirations across technological, economic, environmental and social dimensions following one year of intervention. Technological aspirations increased by 28.89 units in the beneficiary group versus no change in controls, whilst economic aspirations rose by 9.85 units, suggesting that integrated digital-physical extension services may meaningfully shift farmer development aspirations.
Regional applicability
This study was conducted in India and addresses the Indian agricultural policy context. Whilst the specific platform design reflects Telangana conditions, the methodology and findings on digital extension effectiveness may inform United Kingdom agricultural advisory and extension policy, particularly regarding hybrid service delivery models for farmer engagement. However, direct transferability is limited given differences in farm scale, technology adoption barriers, and extension infrastructure between Indian and UK systems.
Key measures
Technological, economic, environmental and social aspiration indices; pre- and post-intervention measurements using structured interviews; Z-tests for statistical significance
Outcomes reported
The study measured changes in technological, economic, environmental and social aspirations of farmers before and after exposure to Mobile Agri Support Services (MASS). It compared aspiration shifts between beneficiary farmers (n=600) and non-beneficiary control farmers (n=400) across aspirational districts in Telangana.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Ask about this record, its theme or its relevance to UK farming and policy. Pulse AI uses selected catalogue evidence and cites the sources it draws on.