Franziska Jäckel successfully conducted a quantitative field study in Ghana focusing on behavioral barriers to the adoption of carbon farming practices among smallholder farmers.
The study was implemented in the Bono and Bono East regions of Ghana and involved 408 smallholder cashew farmers. Using surveys combined with a framed field experiment, the research examined how farmers respond to delayed and uncertain benefits, a central feature of carbon credit schemes that has historically limited participation in smallholder contexts.
A core component of the study was a tablet-based behavioral game, designed to capture farmers’ risk preferences and present bias in a realistic decision environment. While gamified in structure, farmers approached the tasks with notable seriousness—often taking time to calculate outcomes with pen and paper before making decisions. This highlights both the feasibility and credibility of experimental methods in rural field settings.
Beyond the quantitative results, the fieldwork provided important qualitative insights. Many farmers expressed a stronger-than-expected openness toward carbon farming, despite the delayed nature of payments. At the same time, climate risks embedded in the experimental design resonated strongly with participants, reflecting their lived experience of droughts, heat stress, and yield losses. Climate change was not perceived as an abstract future risk, but as an immediate constraint shaping daily agricultural decisions.
The study was implemented with a team of eight local enumerators fluent in Twi and supported by local logistics coordination. The experimental design was developed in collaboration with Dr. Terese Venus, Prof. Peter Bilson Obour, and Dr. Carolin Canessa. The findings contribute to ongoing research on how carbon payment schemes can be designed to better align with the behavioral constraints and realities faced by smallholder farmers.