Cassava planting material movement and grower behaviour in Zambia: implications for disease management

Abstract Cassava is an important food crop for most small-holder growers across sub-Saharan Africa, where production is largely limited by the presence of two viral diseases: cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), both propagated by a vector whitefly and via human-mediated movement of infected cassava stems. Despite its importance, there is limited knowledge of growers’ behaviour related to planting material movement, as well as growers’ perception and knowledge of cassava diseases, which have major implications for disease spread and control. This study was conducted to address this knowledge gap by surveying small-holder growers in Zambia. A total of 96 subsistence cassava growers across five provinces were surveyed between 2015 and 2017. Most growers interviewed used planting materials from their own fields (94%) or those of nearby (<10 km) family and friends, although some large transactions with markets, middlemen, and NGOs occurred over longer distances. At the same time, information related to cassava diseases and uninfected planting material only reached 48% of growers, where those with access to information were more concerned about the disease. These data provide a basis for future planning of cassava clean seed systems to control virus diseases, emphasising the critical role of grower knowledge, and consequently education, in success of these systems. In particular, we highlight the importance of extension workers in this education process, as well as farmer’s groups and the media.