Using machine learning to explore the effect of technology information on drivers of farmer uptake of biofortified crops: The case of orange-fleshed sweetpotato in Kenya

Knowledge, attitudes together with norms, and agency are well-known determinants of technology adoption behaviour. However, it remains unclear how these psychosocial factors, influence the intention and actual uptake of biofortified crops in presence of information about agronomic practices and the biofortification process. This study, therefore, uses an information field experiment with 320 commercially oriented farmers conducted in Western Kenya in 2017. To elicit farmers' psychosocial factors and intentions measures are conceptualized in line with the theory of planned behaviour. A follow-up study with a proportionate to size sample of 113 farmers is conducted in 2018 to assess the actual adoption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato. Random Forest and classification regression trees modelling approaches are used to assess how differently psychosocial factors are conditioned upon the type of information provided. Results show that subjective norms, agency, and past behaviour play a role in the intention to plant OFSP, but at varying levels of importance depending on whether they received agronomic information or information about the biofortification process. Further controlling for information type unintentional procrastination, subjective norms towards the purchase of sweetpotato, and intention to plant OFSP are significantly associated with the adoption of OFSP. This paper will discuss the implication of these results for agriculture nutrition interventions.