Publication Type
Journal Article
Journal Name
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Publication Date
1-1-2025
Abstract
The study uses the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture to evaluate mobile phone ownership's direct and indirect effect on yields in Tanzania. The results indicate that transitioning from not owning to owning a mobile phone improves maize yields by about 16%. Mobile phones indirectly affect maize yield by facilitating farmers' access to extension services - regardless of the type of provider - but only account for about 2% of the total effects. Considering both direct and indirect effects, this study suggests that extension services partially moderate this causal relationship. Further, the impact of mobile phones is stronger among male-headed farm households.
Keywords
Correlated random effects, extension services, farmers
Recommended Citation
Mangole, C., Mulungu, K., Kaghoma, C., & Kassie, M. (2025). The Direct and Indirect Effects of Mobile Phone Ownership on Maize Yields in Tanzania. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics https://doi.org/10.1017/aae.2025.10010