Spodoptera frugiperda has caused significant losses of farmer income in sub-Saharan countries since 2016. This study assessed farmers’ knowledge of S. frugiperda, their perceptions and management practices in Benin. Data were collected through a national survey of 1237 maize farmers. Ninety-one point eight percent of farmers recognized S. frugiperda damage, 78.9% of them were able to identify its larvae, and 93.9% of the maize fields were infested. According to farmers, the perceived yield losses amounted to 797.2 kg/ha of maize, representing 49% of the average maize yield commonly obtained by farmers. Chi-square tests revealed that the severity of the pest attacks was significantly associated with cropping practices and types of grown maize varieties. About 16% of farmers identified francolin (Francolinus bicalcaratus), village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), and common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) as natural enemies and 5% of them identified yellow nutsedge, chan, shea tree, neem, tamarind, and soybean as repellent plants of S. frugiperda. Most farmers (91.4%) used synthetic pesticides and 1.9% of them used botanical pesticides, which they found more effective than synthetic pesticides. Significant relationships exist between farmers’ management practices, their knowledge, organization membership, and contact with research and extension services. More research is required to further understand the effectiveness of botanical pesticides made by farmers against S. frugiperda and to refine them for scaling-up.

In response to the invasion of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) in Africa, farmers rely mainly on synthetic pesticides which are harmful to human health and environment. This study investigated farmers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for attributes of integrated pest management (IPM) methods against S. frugiperda. A survey was conducted among 400 randomly selected maize farmers in eight districts of Benin using a questionnaire. Results showed that the majority of farmers (66.5%) who were interested in the IPM approach preferred a combined use of intercropping and ecological control products in managing S. frugiperda. Farmers who were more likely to pay for IPM strategies against S. frugiperda had less access to extension services, very small farms, and relatively low income. They represented 38.82% of the sample and were willing to pay additional protection costs of 4.53 US$/ha for the combination of several management methods, 86.09 US$/ha for the reduction of human health risks, 22.20 US$/ha for the preservation of environment, and 4.90 US$/ha for a reduction in yield losses. The policy implications of these findings for the extension of IPM technologies were discussed.

National variety catalogs provide a list of officially registered crop varieties for use by farmers. Most African countries permit only the commercial seed production of registered varieties. At the same time, imported varieties are often exempt from mandatory registration, creating an unequal playing field between imported and locally-produced seeds. This particularly affects vegetable seeds, which, being of high value and low volume, are easily imported. This study provides an in-depth analysis of this problem by quantifying the number of registered vegetable varieties available to farmers and the proportion of these varieties that are actually registered. Data come from national variety catalogs of African countries, complemented with primary data collected through a survey of 560 agrodealers in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. Out of 54 African countries, 40 were confirmed to have variety catalogs. Of these, 15 were publicly available online, 12 were shared by the national seed authority upon request, while we were unable to obtain 13 catalogs despite several attempts. Cereal crops dominate the 27 national catalogs we analyzed, and most countries had few or no vegetable varieties registered despite the high diversity of this crop group. Where vegetables were included in the catalog, these were mostly varieties of tomato, pepper, onion, and eggplant rather than traditional African vegetables. The agrodealer data show that only 2.6% of registered vegetable varieties were available in the market, with 40% of agrodealers not selling any registered vegetable varieties. These results show that national registration systems do not play a significant role in making improved vegetable varieties available to farmers in Africa. We propose a system of voluntary online registration for both locally produced and imported seed.

Understanding trait preferences of value chain actors is essential for designing demand-driven breeding programs for traditional African vegetables (TAVs). The objective of this study was to assess the varietal preferences of farmers, traders, and consumers for amaranth, okra, and jute mallow in Benin and Mali. We employed a gamified choice experiment, following the Bradley–Terry model and recursive partitioning, to identify preference patterns and segment participants by country, age, and gender. Different preference patterns appeared across segments, showing clear social and geographic diversity in varietal needs. Traders and consumers consistently focused on market and organoleptic traits, specifically, leaf integrity and taste for amaranth, high mucilage content (viscosity) for okra, and both leaf integrity and viscosity for jute mallow. Farmers prioritized a range of agronomic traits. For okra, farmers specifically valued harvesting duration, disease resistance, and fruit yield per plant, reflecting the crop’s dual role in income generation and nutritional security. Farmers in Mali placed greater emphasis on drought tolerance across all three crops than farmers in Benin. The findings highlight the need for TAV breeding and variety introduction programs to consider not only agronomic performance but also market preferences and organoleptic qualities.