Cassava production in Africa is constrained by number of biotic factors, including cassava mosaic disease (CMD). In response to this challenge, the PlantVillage Nuru application, which employs artificial intelligence for CMD diagnosis, provides farmers with the ability to independently detect the disease. This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of the innovative Nuru application by farmers in Benin. Data were randomly collected from 305 farmers in three Agricultural Development Poles (PDAs 5, 6 and 7). A binary logit model was used to analyze the determinants of adoption. The results show that, despite the potential of the Nuru application, the adoption rate remained relatively low at 14.1%. The key drivers of adoption were found to be participation in CMD training, disease knowledge, ownership of an Android smartphone, education level and practice of crop association. These findings emphasize the necessity of intensifying farmers’ training and raising awareness about CMD. Effective strategies to reach and train a significant number of farmers are crucial. Enhancing Nuru adoption can lead to more effective CMD management and improved cassava production, which will have a positive impact on food security in Africa and strengthen the resilience of farming communities against biotic challenges.

Rural communities are more likely to encounter constraints in achieving food security and adequate nutritional supply. This study explores food security, nutritional supply, nutrient adequacy, macronutrient balance, recipes, and nutrient sources based on bi-monthly household surveys in rural villages in Northern and Southern Burkina Faso from 2019 to 2020. Food security across time and its quantity dimensions were measured using the food consumption score (FCS). Ordered logit regression showed that FCS was significantly influenced by season, region, and household characteristics such as the head’s education and women’s possession of personal plots. The regional differences were large: Households categorized as having “poor” diets were approximately 1% and 38% in the south and north, respectively. Nutrient adequacy was assessed by converting 24 h dietary recall into nutrient supply and comparing the results to the requirement. While macronutrient balance appeared adequate in the pooled sample, it became unacceptable when the two regions were considered separately. Most micronutrient supplies were insufficient. Cereals were the main nutrient sources, and leaves of crops and potash (additive containing potassium) were also non-negligible for micronutrient supplies. Overall, we found large regional differences in nutrition and food security, indicating that various local contexts must be considered for effective nutritional improvement.

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is a major constraint to cassava production in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Burkina Faso, where it poses a serious threat to rural food security. This study examined the impact of adopting innovative cassava mosaic disease management practices on cassava yields in the Guiriko and Nando regions of Burkina Faso. To address potential biases arising from differences in characteristics between adopters and non-adopters, an econometric approach based on the instrumental variables (IV) method within a counterfactual framework was employed to estimate the local average treatment effect (LATE). The data were drawn from a survey conducted in September 2023 among 511 cassava producers. The results indicate that the adoption of innovative cassava mosaic disease management practices had a positive and statistically significant effect on agricultural yields. Productivity gains were estimated at 29% in the Guiriko region and 41% in the Nando region, highlighting spatial heterogeneity in impacts. These findings suggest that promoting the diffusion of such practices can substantially improve cassava productivity and reduce the vulnerability of rural households. In addition, the analysis showed that socioeconomic and technical factors, including farmers’ age, membership in cassava producer organizations, household income levels, and the use of chemical fertilizers, also influence productivity outcomes. Overall, the study underscores the importance of strengthening agricultural extension services, supporting producer organizations, and promoting appropriate technologies to maximize the benefits of cassava mosaic disease management practices for food security and rural development.

Soil degradation threatens agricultural productivity across Africa, necessitating effective conservation strategies. However, gaps remain in understanding the mechanisms that drive agricultural technology adoption and dissemination. This study applies the theories of innovation diffusion, social networks, and risk aversion to examine the adoption and dissemination of Zaï pits, stone lines, and organic manure among sorghum farmers in Burkina Faso. The results reveal that Zaï adoption is strongly associated with farm size. A one‐unit increase in log landholding raises the likelihood of adoption by 8%. This finding supports the diffusion theory, which states that resource‐rich farmers absorb risk and benefit more. Moreover, social networks are significant. Each one‐percentage‐point increase in native residents boosts adoption by 0.77–0.80 points. Furthermore, native household heads are 12 percentage points more likely to share Zaï and advise an average of 7.7 more peers. Each additional level of education completed adds an average of 2.18 peer advisories. Extension‐informed farmers advise an average of 15 peers, demonstrating that homophily and knowledge networks drive diffusion. However, risk aversion has a minimal impact, with 0.3 fewer peer advisories (less than 1%) and no significant effect on Zaï, stone line, or manure use. Stone line adoption is more common in male‐headed households, likely due to labor requirements, whereas organic manure use depends on land and village composition rather than innovativeness or risk attitude. These findings suggest that enhancing structural supports, such as land access, education, and extension, and leveraging community networks benefit scaling conservation practices more than shifting farmers' risk preferences.

Transboundary diseases, such as cassava mosaic disease (CMD), represent a significant risk to food security and the livelihoods of millions of households in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this issue, awareness campaigns have been conducted targeting farmers and stakeholders within the cassava secor. The objective of this study is to quantify the impact of these awareness campaigns on the knowledge of CMD, the adoption of management practices, and the incidence of the disease in cassava fields. A random sample of 305 farmers and 77 cassava fields in Benin was selected for data collection. To account for potential selection bias associated with observable characteristics, we applied Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The results indicate that farmers who participated in the training demonstrated significantly higher levels of CMD knowledge and were more likely to adopt a greater number of management practices, which ultimately led to a reduction in the prevalence of the disease in their fields. However, CMD symptoms were still prevalent in the majority (61,04) of cassava farms, regardless of participation in the campaigns, due to the lack of healthy planting material and the abundance of whiteflies. These findings suggest that awareness campaigns can significantly improve farmers' knowledge and encourage behavioural changes in the identification and adoption of sustainable CMD management practices. It also shows the need to provide famers with healthy cuttings for more effective disease management.