Kenya IVR Pilot
KEN -20 -1522Last modified on December 19th, 2025 at 10:39 am
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Abstract
PxD operates the MoA-INFO platform in collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture to provide free agricultural recommendations to farmers via SMS messages. PxD Kenya piloted automated phone calls delivering agricultural advice on banana pests and diseases to farmers using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology. The sample frame for this experiment was existing users of the MoA-INFO platform who had opted-in to receiving banana advice via SMS messages. The IVR service in this pilot was linked to a PxD-owned phone number, which ensured that all farmers subscribed to the service could call in and get advice for free. The messages were offered in the two languages (English and Swahili) available in the SMS system.
The main aim of this pilot was to test whether the introduction of the IVR-based voice calls affected users’ SMS-platform engagement and knowledge gains. Another aim was to gain insight into the implementation of the new IVR feature and to monitor usage of this platform. While treatment farmers had a high rate of engagement with the IVR calls and gave positive feedback, the pilot did not detect a notable effect of the IVR intervention on MoA-INFO platform engagement or knowledge outcomes. -
Status
Completed
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Start date
Q2 Apr 2020
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Experiment Location
Kenya
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Partner Organization
Kenya Ministry of Agriculture
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Agricultural season
Long Rains
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Experiment type
Other
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Sample frame / target population
MoA-INFO users who opted in to receive banana content in LR2020 season
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Sample size
7,500
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Outcome type
Service engagement, Knowledge
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Mode of data collection
PxD administrative data, Phone survey
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Research question(s)
What is the effect of IVR calls on farmers’ engagement with the MoA-INFO platform and on farmers’ knowledge of banana pests and diseases compared to SMS-based advisory?
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Research theme
Communication technology
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Research Design
The pilot targeted MoA-INFO users who had opted-in to banana content during the long rainy 2020 season (LR 2020) and had not opted-out of the IVR invitation. Not opting-out was defined as either responding with the “A” key (indicating “No” to the question “Do you want to discontinue this service?”) or not responding to the invitation message. The rate for not opting-out in this group was 86%. Banana farmers who were MoA-INFO users in the short rainy 2019 season (SR 2019) were also included in the pilot to see whether the IVR technology could attract these users back to the platform.
The core analysis focused on the 7,500 eligible LR 2020 banana farmers. Randomization was conducted at the individual level. Stratification for randomization was based on county and the types of crops each farmer had opted-in to on MoA-INFO.
From this group, 202 farmers were randomly selected to participate in a “Pilot of the Pilot”—a short feedback survey run immediately after one IVR message was delivered and listened to.
The remaining 7,298 farmers were randomized into three treatment arms:
- T1 (n = 2,424): Control group; received regular SMS messages.
- T2 (n = 2,430): Treatment group; received weekly IVR messages.
- T3 (n = 2,444): Treatment group; received the same weekly IVR messages as T2, plus follow-up SMS reminders summarizing the key points of each IVR message.
Each group received seven weekly push messages pertaining to the topic of banana pests and diseases. A follow-up phone survey (via voice call) of 204 farmers across all experimental groups (T1, T2, T3) assessed their knowledge of banana pests and diseases.
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Results
The IVR call treatment did not lead to meaningful differences in platform engagement (including general menu access, banana menu access, and cropping series opt-in).
The engagement of the treatment farmers with the IVR service was high, and user feedback was positive. Voice call pick-up rates ranged from 91% to 98% over the seven weeks of implementation. Between 60% and 93% of users listened to at least 90% of the content of the call, depending on the topic and language. This means that treated farmers spent significantly more time with the service between SMS and IVR messages.
Yet, the follow-up survey did not show improved knowledge of banana pests and diseases among treatment farmers who received SMS and IVR.
Feedback from an SMS survey of treatment farmers showed that 93% of the 55% who responded to that survey question would like to continue receiving the voice calls. In a separate rating of four topics, the percentage of users who reported finding the IVR messages useful was over 95%.