Weed management for cassava: Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices Decision Support Tool

Low-cost weed management system

The “Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices Decision Support Tool” is a comprehensive tool that provides a robust, step-by-step guide for cassava growers. It assists them in making informed decisions from site selection to weed control and implementing best planting practices on their farms. The tool also includes a herbicide calculator that aids farmers and Spray Service Providers in calibrating their sprayers to apply herbicides safely and effectively1.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

5•4

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 5/9; level of use 4/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive medium

Under 18: Positive low

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Same amount of carbon released

Environmental health: Does not improve environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Problem

Inefficient Site Selection: Farmers may face challenges in selecting suitable sites for cassava production.
Limited Knowledge of Pre-plant Preparation: Farmers might lack guidance on pre-plant land preparation using herbicides.
High cost of labor: The cost implications of ploughing and ridging might present a challenge, influencing decision-making for cassava growers.
Inadequate Planting and Weed Control Procedures: There is a lack of clear recommendations regarding planting methods and pre/post-emergence weed control.

Solution

Site Selection Guidance: The tool offers guidance for farmers to select appropriate sites for cassava production.
Land Clearing Recommendations: Provides guidance on whether and when to slash the farm, addressing uncertainties related to land clearing.
Pre-plant Herbicide Guidance: Offers guidance on pre-plant land preparation using herbicides.
Informed Decision-making on Tillage: Guides cassava growers on making informed decisions about ploughing and ridging, considering the cost implications.
Clear Planting and Weed Control Procedures: Provides explicit recommendations for planting methods and pre/post-emergence weed control, assisting growers in managing their crop effectively.

Key points to design your project

In this section, you will soon find important information to assist you in incorporating this technology into your project. We will present how technology can impact gender, climate, and sustainable development goals. We will provide a list of activities to plan for your project, a toolkit for optimizing the technology, suggestions for key partners, and communication tools about the technology.

In the meantime, use the 'Request information' button if you need to contact us.

20-30 USD per hectare

for herbicide

20 vs 9 ton per hectare

trained farmers yeild vs national average

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 5 out of 9

Controlled environment: model or early prototype

Level of use 4 out of 9

By some projects connected to technology providers

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension (ENSURE)

Project funder: African Development Bank & East Africa Community
Planned Budget: USD 13.14 million
Location: East African Community (Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda)
Planned duration: 2024–2027
Deployment means: On-farm demonstrations, training, digital tools (SMS, IVR, video, radio, pictorial guides), bundled inputs + advisory services, Training of Trainers (ToT)
Project main implementer: East African Community (EAC)
Project Description: Strengthen agricultural extension systems using digital tools, private-sector approaches, regional coordination, and multi-commodity focus (maize, cassava, rice, drought-resilient crops).
Objective: Promote regional extension, enhance advisory services, scale climate-smart technologies, build sustainable private sector–led extension systems, strengthen policy and regulatory frameworks.
Expected outcome: Increased adoption of improved technologies, improved farmer productivity and profitability, enhanced access to quality inputs and pest management solutions, strengthened resilience to climate and pest risks, regional market integration, job creation for youth and agripreneurs.
Figures of adoption: Target 3 million farmers reached over 4 years, digital extension pilots in 7 EAC states, training of extension agents, lead farmers, cooperatives, and youth agripreneurs, rollout of Pest Information Management Systems (PIMS).
Profiles of adopters: Smallholder farmers, women, youth agripreneurs, cooperatives and producer organizations, public and private extension agents, National Plant Protection Officers (NPPOs).
Lessons learnt: System-level approaches needed beyond technology delivery, digital tools most effective with in-person facilitation, supportive policy/regulatory environment critical, regional harmonization boosts scalability and cross-border diffusion of technologies.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 13: climate action

Goal 1: no poverty

Goal 2: zero hunger

Site Selection: This step guides farmers to select suitable sites for cassava production.
Land Clearing - Slashing: This step guides farmers on whether to slash their farm or not and at what growth stage of the vegetation.
Land Clearing – Herbicide Application: This step guides on pre-plant land preparation herbicide.
Ploughing and Ridging: Because tillage operation costs money, this step guides cassava growers to make an informed decision on whether to till their field or not.
Planting and Pre-emergence Weed Control: This step recommends planting procedures to growers and the application of pre-emergence herbicide.
Post-emergence Weed Control: This guides growers on when and how to apply post-emergence herbicides.