Digital versus traditional agricultural extension for promoting climate-adaptive grape farming in the West Bank of Palestine: a randomized controlled trial protocol

Résumé

Background Rainfed grape cultivation in the occupied West Bank of Palestine, a vital source of livelihood for over 7,000 farmers is under significant threat from climate change. While effective extension is crucial for building resilience, access to these services is highly limited by political and logistic challenges, with only 7.1% of farmers currently reached. Digital extension presents a potential solution to overcome these barriers, but rigorous evidence of its effectiveness in conflict-prone environments is lacking, as observational data is prone to selection bias, making it difficult to isolate the true impact of the intervention. Objective This study aims to address this critical evidence gap by rigorously evaluating the comparative effectiveness of digital and traditional extension services in a conflict-affected setting. It is the first experimental evaluation of its kind in a context where political constraints impede service delivery. Methods We are conducting a two-arm, individually randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 795 grape farmers in the Bethlehem and Hebron districts. The intervention arm will receive digital extension through agent-facilitated websites and WhatsApp groups, featuring instructional videos, peer-to-peer learning, and access to experts. This digital approach is specifically designed to overcome the logistic and security challenges of in-person service delivery in a region with restricted movement. The control arm will continue to receive standard services from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). The primary outcomes are the quality of climate-adaptive practice adoption and gross margin. Secondary outcomes include productivity, farmer capacity, and engagement with extension services. The study employs a pre-registered protocol with stratified randomization and measures to prevent contamination, ensuring internal validity and reproducibility. We will also assess implementation fidelity, cost-effectiveness, and causal-pathways through mediations analysis. Significance By providing robust, causally identified evidence, the findings from this RCT will inform policymakers and international donors on whether digital platforms offer a cost-effective and scalable model for reaching marginalized farming communities in the conflict-affected regions. This research will contribute to the development of climate resilience and the design of evidence-based resource allocation for agricultural extension systems. Clinical trial registration https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16046-2.1 , AEARCTR-0016046.

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