Digital Information Provision and Behavior Change: Lessons from Six Experiments in East Africa

While some studies suggest mobile phone–based information programs change behavior; others find no effect. We evaluate six text message agricultural extension programs, collectively covering 128,000 farmers. A meta-analysis finds a 1.22-fold increase in the odds of adoption of recommended practices (95 percent CI: 1.16, 1.29). We cannot reject similar impacts across experiments. Impacts are increased by message repetition, but not by providing more granular information, using behavioral framings, or complementing texts with phone calls. There is little evidence of message fatigue or crowd-out. Despite modest absolute impacts detectable only with large samples or meta-analysis, texts are inexpensive enough to be cost-effective. (JEL D83, D91, L96, O13, Q12, Q16)