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Language Barriers, Technology Adoption and Productivity: Evidence from Agriculture in India

Apoorv Gupta¹; Jacopo Ponticelli²; Andrea Tesei³

¹ Dartmouth College [email protected] · ² Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management, NBER & CEPR [email protected] · ³ Queen Mary University of London, CEPR, CEP (LSE) & CESifo [email protected]

Abstract We study the effect of language barriers on the ability of farmers to access information about agricultural technologies in rural areas of India. We use the introduction of government-sponsored call centers (Kisan Call Centers) which offer agricultural advice in the official language of each Indian state. For identification, we compare geographically contiguous areas that sit across state borders, and exploit differences in the language spoken by farmers and call center advisors. We document that language barriers limit the adoption of modern agricultural technologies – such as high-yielding variety seeds – and negatively affect crop yields.

DOI

10.1162/rest_a_01501

Pages

1-28

Language

en

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