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Who Cares What Others Think (or Do)? Social Learning and Social Pressures in Cotton Farming in India

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  • Annemie Maertens

Abstract

This paper examines the role that social networks play in the adoption process of Bacillus thurigiensis (Bt) cotton, a type of genetically engineered cotton that has been available on the Indian market since 2002. Using a unique dataset and empirical methodology, I find that farmers appeared to have exclusively learned from the experimentation of a small set of “progressive” farmers in the village, that is, adoption by other (“regular”) farmers was not considered a useful source of information about the technology. Second, I find evidence of social pressures, originating from the belief that Bt cotton might be hazardous to the environment and livestock, which inhibited adoption, at least for some time.

Suggested Citation

  • Annemie Maertens, 2017. "Who Cares What Others Think (or Do)? Social Learning and Social Pressures in Cotton Farming in India," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(4), pages 988-1007.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ajagec:v:99:y:2017:i:4:p:988-1007.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ajae/aaw098
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agricultural technology adoption; India; social learning; social pressures;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • Q1 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture

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