This study analysed factors that drive producers’ decision to adopt good production practices in cashew production. Data were collected from 395 randomly selected producers from 23 top favourable municipalities (based on criteria such as climate, soil, and disease management) for cashew production in Benin. A multivariate probit regression model was used to estimate the determinants of the adoption of good practices. Findings showed that 70.38% of the cashew producers use firebreaks, 58.23% carried out thinning and 18.48% employed good pest and disease management practices. Overall, the adoption of good agricultural practices in cashew production was negatively influenced by the farm-to-market distance, the sex of the cashew producer and positively correlated with the cashew land size owned; the income from cashew production, membership of a cooperative group, contact with a research agency, participation in agricultural training and perception of good cashew production practices. The pace of adoption of pest and disease management practices is still low yet pests and diseases are one of the major constraints to cashew production. Policies and programs that support cashew production to focus on strengthening the capacities of producers through adequate extension services delivery, and by considering their access to productive resources.

The aim of this study was to provide information on post-harvest losses (PHLs) along the main value-added chains in the soybean industry, and on farmers’ strategies for reducing these losses in Benin. Data were collected using a subjective method (questionnaires) from 152 direct actors in the soybean value chain and an objective method (technological monitoring using technological monitoring sheets) from 27 processing units using a two-stage sampling technique in eighteen of the country’s municipalities. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that post-harvest losses in soybean value chains ranged from 0.03% to 7.98%. The highest loss percentages were 7.98% (production), 10.0% (processing), and 4.27% (marketing), and were obtained during the subjective measurements. The link most affected by PHL was the production link. These losses were mainly observed during threshing, winnowing, sorting, and harvesting operations. The main causes of these losses were poor mechanization and a lack of skills for post-harvest operations. The main strategies developed by players to cope with this situation remained traditional (timely harvesting, use of appropriate equipment, and good storage practices). However, additional efforts in terms of infrastructure, adapted subsidies/credits, and recruitment of specialists are needed to mechanize the operations most sensitive to losses and to reinforce the capacities of agricultural actors in order to considerably reduce post-harvest losses.

This study assesses the causal effect of the intensity of participation in agricultural advisory services on the adoption of three groups of technologies by maize and soybean farmers in Benin. A multivariate Probit model with instrumental variables was applied to data collected from 2,300 farming households over three growing seasons. The results show that participation intensity in agricultural advisory services significantly increases the probability that farmers will adopt improved maize and soybean varieties, as well as integrated soil fertility management practices related to maize cultivation. A nonlinear relationship between extension intensity and technology adoption was also revealed through the dose-response function. Beyond a certain threshold of extension intensity, the marginal effect on the adoption of improved varieties begins to decline. Furthermore, a significant correlation is observed between the error terms of the adoption equations, indicating that the technologies studied are interdependent within each crop. It also emerges that agricultural extension is effective only when the main barrier to technology adoption is informational in nature. Consequently, improving the coverage and intensity of participation in agricultural advisory services constitutes the primary policy lever for increasing the dissemination of agricultural technologies and innovations among smallholder farmers.

In Benin, cashew nuts represent a socio-economic and strategic interest for farmers and the government. Cashew grafted plants have been introduced to improve productive performance. Therefore, it is essential to better assess the current adoption level of cashew grafted plants and the drivers behind it, in order to stimulate their large-scale adoption in Benin. To achieve this objective, a stratified random sample was used to select a total of 395 cashew farmers across 23 municipalities in Benin. Based on the neoclassical theory of profit maximisation, the counterfactual Average Treatment Effect (ATE) estimation framework has been used to assess the adoption rate of cashew grafted plants as well as the drivers behind their knowledge and adoption. The findings revealed a very low adoption rate of cashew grafted plants among farmers. Farmers’ perception of cashew grafted plants, level of satisfaction with the characteristics of cashew grafted plants, extension contact, household income, and household assets were the main factors determining the adoption of cashew grafted plants in Benin. Adoption constraints due to hydraulic stresses, shocks from climatic disturbances, and technical production also limited the adoption of cashew grafted plants. The study further recommends policy measures to facilitate the accessibility and availability of cashew seedlings to increase adoption and production. The government should also subsidise cashew seedlings to encourage young farmers and women, and to avoid price volatility.

Pluralistic delivery systems, in which private providers operate alongside public structures, are reshaping agricultural advisory services across sub-Saharan Africa, yet little is known about what makes farmers satisfied with the services they receive. Using a nationally representative panel of 2,300 Beninese farm households surveyed over three campaigns (2019-2020, 2022-2023, 2024-2025), this study analyzes the determinants of farmers’ satisfaction with Farm Management, Specialized Technical, and Market Access Advisory Services. A Generalized Structural Equation Model estimated by Full Information Maximum Likelihood jointly addresses selection into advisory services and the conditional formation of satisfaction. Access to advisory services is found to be unevenly distributed. Male farmers, members of producer organizations, and households located in cash-crop zones are disproportionately reached by existing delivery structures. Among beneficiaries, participation alone is not associated with satisfaction. Satisfaction is instead shaped by perceived advisor quality, understood through competence, punctuality, kindness, and visit frequency, and, for technically demanding services, by access to the inputs and credit needed to act on advice received. The findings expose a dual challenge that policymakers cannot resolve separately. Expanding coverage to under-served groups is necessary but insufficient if the relational and technical quality of delivery erodes in the process. By combining longitudinal data, selection correction, and a disaggregated treatment of service types, the study offers a replicable framework for monitoring farmer satisfaction in the pluralistic extension systems now consolidating across sub-Saharan Africa.