Ganta J.S.O., Karangwa A., Bamurigire P., Fassinou Hotegni N.V., Achigan-Dako E.G. and de Paul Bigirimana V., (2026) Determinants of farmers’ willingness to adopt technologies for the agroecological and precision management of potato pests and diseases in Rwanda. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 10:1930171. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1930171
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production in Rwanda is limited by pests and diseases, resulting in significant yield losses and increased use of synthetic pesticides. Despite growing interest in sustainable agriculture, few studies provide empirical evidence on farmers’ knowledge of agroecological pest management practices and precision agriculture in Rwanda. This study assessed farmers’ management practices, awareness and perceptions of agroecological practices and precision agriculture technologies, as well as factors that may influence the willingness to adopt precision agriculture tools in smallholder potato systems.
A farm household survey using a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted among 223 potato farmers in three districts of Rwanda (i.e., Rubavu, Gicumbi, and Nyamagabe) in July 2025. Descriptive statistics, Chi square tests, and Fisher’s exact tests were used to analyze farmers’ practices and perceptions. A Firth-penalized logistic regression model, constructed based on a purposeful selection of covariates strategy, was used to identify factors associated with farmers’ willingness to adopt precision agriculture technologies.
Findings revealed that pests and diseases were the main production constraints, with bacterial wilt, viruses, late blight, and whiteflies being the most frequently cited. Farmers primarily used synthetic pesticides to manage aerial pests and foliar diseases, while preventive agronomic practices were used to manage soil-borne pests and diseases. The use of biopesticides remained extremely limited and farmers were aware of the negative impacts of pesticide misuse and expressed a strong willingness to adopt better pest management practices. Knowledge of precision agriculture technologies was mainly limited (79%). Farmers associated precision agriculture primarily with mechanization, whereas awareness of drones, sensors and digital decision-support tools was limited. They demonstrated highly positive perceptions toward precision agriculture (90%) and a strong willingness to learn more (87%). The results of the logistic regression showed that mobile phone usage (OR = 20.58, p < 0.01) and the willingness to adopt agroecological practices (OR = 67.73, p < 0.001) were associated with a higher likelihood of expressing willingness to adopt precision agriculture technologies.
These results highlight the opportunity to integrate precision agroecology approaches in Rwanda. Mobile-based advisory systems and low-cost digital technologies could serve as effective entry points for promoting sustainable potato production systems among smallholder farmers.
