Crucifers and traditional African vegetables (TAVs) are important to smallholders in Kenya and Tanzania, but yield remains below potential due to pests and diseases. Agroecological production methods present a nature-based solution to pest and disease management in crucifer and TAV production. We explore the status of farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding agroecological-based production pest management practices. Structured and pretested questionnaires were used to collect data from 1071 vegetable farming households in Kenya and Tanzania. Using descriptive statistics, parametric, and non-parametric analysis, our study revealed that less than 20% of farmers had received training on agroecological-based practices and less than 25% were aware of most of these practices. Among those who were aware of the practices and could confirm their effectiveness less than 12% had adopted them, except for crop rotation and handpicking of pests. This study attributes the low adoption to farmers’ negative attitudes towards the practices. Nonetheless, the study further revealed that training significantly and positively influences the adoption of the practices. Therefore, we recommend that governments and other stakeholders promote targeted awareness campaigns and increase access to training on vegetable production using sustainable pest and disease management practices.

Vegetable production is vital to smallholder farmers, who often struggle to overcome pests, diseases, and extreme weather. Agroecological cropping systems offer sustainable solutions to these issues but their adoption rates in Tanzania remain low. This study examines the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adoption of selected agroecological cropping systems for vegetable production in Tanzania, which remains underexplored. Using a multistage sampling technique, cross-sectional data were gathered from 525 crucifer and traditional African vegetable farming households within the Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions. Multivariate probit regression analysis, which accounts for the simultaneous adoption of multiple systems, revealed several significant variables influencing adoption. The number of training sessions attended and access to market information positively influenced adoption (p < 0.01), while gross income from vegetable production also had a positive influence (p < 0.05). Conversely, the age of the household head and the region where the farm was located showed negative effects on adoption (p < 0.05). These findings highlight the need for targeted extension services and training sessions focusing on the benefits, methods, and management techniques of agroecological cropping systems. Gender-sensitive policies and interventions should also be developed to address the factors influencing the adoption of agroecological cropping systems.