Willingness to adopt insect farming among smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa: cross-country survey evidence

Abstract

Agri-food systems in developing countries face risks such as climate change, conflicts, and input constraints that undermine food security and nutrition. Transitioning to sustainable systems with alternative proteins, such as insect farming, offers a nutritious, environmentally friendly, and accessible option. Insect farming is expanding, supported by public–private partnerships to improve food security, nutrition, and smallholder livelihoods. However, evidence on the factors associated with smallholders’ willingness to farm insects remains scarce, hindering the design of targeted interventions. Using survey data from over 8800 farm households in Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda, we analyze factors associated with smallholders’ willingness to adopt insect farming. Our findings show that willingness to adopt is associated with perceptions of greater benefits of insect farming, lower risk aversion, prior insect consumption experience, awareness of insect farming, and lower household dietary diversity. These associations are heterogeneous: willingness to adopt is higher among risk-taking female and educated farmers, as well as among farmers who seek agricultural information through informal channels and are aware of insect farming. Interventions aimed at promoting insect farming should emphasize its benefits, account for risk aversion, consider the complementary roles of awareness and informal information channels, and target households with low dietary diversity.