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The Role of Trust in Knowledge Acquisition: Results from Field Experiments in the Ecuadorian Amazon

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  • Buck, Steven
  • Alwang, Jeffrey Roger

Abstract

Ecuadorian farmers do not play the investment game (Berg, Dickhaut and McCabe 1995) the same with community farmers as they do with agricultural technicians. Women exhibit a preference for trust in agricultural technicians (vertical trust). Using experimental and survey data from 191 farmers we examine factors associated with 1) farmer trust in community members, 2) farmer trust in agricultural technicians, and 3) differences between levels of trust in agricultural technicians and community farmers. Then we explore how our measures of trust correlate with pesticide knowledge. Farmers who place more trust in community farmers score lower on our pesticide knowledge exam. We find that farmers who exhibit a preference for trusting agricultural technicians score higher on our pesticide knowledge exam.

Suggested Citation

  • Buck, Steven & Alwang, Jeffrey Roger, 2006. "The Role of Trust in Knowledge Acquisition: Results from Field Experiments in the Ecuadorian Amazon," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21139, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea06:21139
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.21139
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Carlos Alpizar & Steven Buck, 2006. "The role of trust in access to bank loans: Results from field experiments in the ecuadorian amazon," Artefactual Field Experiments 00016, The Field Experiments Website.

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