From Call Connection to Farm Performance: Managing Voice-Based Agricultural Extension for Smallholders

Wenjing Li; Ningjing  Luo

doi:10.62177/apemr.v3i4.1635

Authors

Wenjing Li South China Agricultural University
Ningjing Luo South China Agricultural University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62177/apemr.v3i4.1635

Keywords:

Interactive Voice Response, Agricultural Extension, Smallholders, Service Operation, Digital Inclusion, Technology Adoption, Farm Performance

Abstract

Voice-based agricultural extension promises to deliver timely advice to smallholders without requiring literacy, smartphones, or mobile data. Yet service registration and call connection are operational outputs, whereas comprehension, adoption, and farm performance are management outcomes. This structured evidence review examines how interactive voice response, automated voice calls, and bundled voice services convert access into action. Searches of academic indexes, publisher sites, and citation networks through 7 August 2026 yielded 10 core records covering nine programmes or evaluation stages in India, Uganda, Nepal, Tanzania, and Senegal. Five programmes used randomized evaluations, one used a quasi-experimental comparison, and the remainder supplied mixed-method or implementation evidence. Voice services achieved high reach when calls were free, repeatedly promoted, and supported by trusted organizations; nevertheless, short listening duration, menu exit, shared-phone control, and low voluntary call-in frequently reduced effective engagement. Knowledge and practice adoption improved in several settings, particularly when voice was combined with training, video, or reminders, but gains were not consistent across randomized studies. Evidence on yield, cost, and profit was thinner and more variable. To guide service management, the review develops a three-capability framework: voice accessibility, service reachability, and behavioral executability. It recommends managing voice extension as a service funnel, simplifying channel operations, linking call logs with farm outcomes, and measuring cost per effectively engaged farmer and per additional adopter rather than cost per registered user.

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