One of the vexing problems in the Agriculture space is the stubbornness with which the farmers refuse to adopt eco-friendly practices. Despite knowing the dangers of using pesticides with bare hands they continue to ignore the safe practices. Typically, they tend to follow the same age-old methods that their forefathers followed which results in low productivity, increased post-harvest loss and tremendous ecological damage. The major concern, therefore, for input companies, governmental agencies and donor groups is how can we change the behaviour of farmers so that they adopt the right kind of methods. The recent researches in the field of behaviour modification through using Nudge principles give us ample cues in this direction.
In the classic HBR article, ‘Pygmalion in Management’ Sterling Livingston talked about the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (SFP) to demonstrate the power of one person’s expectations on another person’s behaviour. He elaborated on how the expectations almost become prophecies in a very subtle and subconscious way. In this path-breaking article, he quotes the experiment carried out by Robert Rosenthal as follows.
“An experiment in a summer Head Start program for 60 preschoolers compared the performance of pupils under (a) teachers who had been led to expect relatively slow learning by their children, and (b) teachers who had been led to believe their children had excellent intellectual ability and learning capacity. Pupils of the second group of teachers learned much faster.”
When the teachers were debriefed about this experiment they were shocked as they believed that they had taught the students in the same manner. That implies that the process happens at a subconscious level. Can we use this principle to change the behaviour of the farmers towards adopting safe, better and eco-friendly practices? Further research in the Nudge research supports this viewpoint.
Professor Robert Cialdini of Arizona State University talks about an interesting experiment that was carried out in a class of Psychology undergraduates. In a class where the teacher was teaching the students sitting on the right side gently smiled and nodded in appreciation of what was being taught while maintaining continuous eye contact with the teacher. While the students sitting on the left side had bored expressions on their faces and remained passive throughout the session. The unsuspecting teacher started focussing his attention ONLY on the right side and generally ignored the left side. At some point in time, the students reversed their roles and now the left-side students looked very interested while the right side remained glum. What happens? The teacher now started focussing on the left side. This is a classic example of the nudge affecting the poor teacher. Manipulation is a dirty word but that is what one needs to do in behaviour modification interventions.
Cialdini outlines six principles of persuasion namely Reciprocity, Commitment & Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority and Scarcity. An effective push program through mobile phones sending subtle messages incorporating these principles is a great way of changing the farmer’s mindset. It is our considered opinion that any direct message to the farmer in terms of Do’s and Don’ts produces very little impact. Farmers are known to throw aside the technical leaflets and instructions usually provided by the input companies. But messages that focus on the children’s need to be healthy, to have nutritious food, their health and the families' overall well-being are generally well received. Hence if all the nudges are well packed under these innocuous messages the impact will be readily observed. This is the only best way of behaviour modification. If an incentive program is added to the compliance of the nudges then the effect is more permanent.
